Rebel in Hidden High School
by AkumaNoDanna
Summary: Re-done. SasoDei. Deidara's goal is to turn a new, fresh page in his life. He enters a new high school, but runs into the bully group on his first day! To make matters even worse, he has to share a room with one of the bullies! Could things get any worse? He had to ask...
1. Chapter 1

****_Haha yeah, I'm re-doing this story. I just recently realized how much I loved this fic - Deidara's/Sasori's personality (even though they're on the verge of being Mary-Sue), the fluffiness, the smut, the clicheness, almost everything! So yeah, I decided to edit it._

_I think the updates should be rather frequent, but no guarantees~ _

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**_Chapter 1_**

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Deidara was standing in front a huge, ancient looking building with a big sign that read "Hidden High School". A road that seemed to be at least a kilometer long lead through an enormous park-like front yard, ending in front of the faraway front door.

There were loads of students outside, gathered in clusters varying in size. Deidara couldn't help noticing the awful silence that followed him as he passed the groups, nor the curious stares that made him feel like some endangered species. He ignored them determinedly, keeping his gaze down right in front of him.

Unfortunately for him, the difficulty level of that mission rose frantically when he noticed a bunch of noisy teenage students in front of the front door, _unintentionally_ and _accidentally _blocking his way. Deidara rolled his eyes when he saw them. Great, now he had to _interact _with people.

Since none of them was looking in his way, he tried to get through them by muttering "excuse me". Just as the two words had spilled from his lips, he realized it had been an obvious mistake, although while thinking it over it later on, he still saw no other way out.

Deidara sensed numerous pair of eyes looking down at him, when he'd come to a stop between the two boys at the head of the group. The whole group of boys turned in his direction, most of them having a superior look on their faces.

They all seemed frozen in time, no one saying anything. Deidara didn't see it as an omen; maybe they hadn't heard him? Following that naïve idea, he decided to repeat himself, feeling completely certain that there wasn't much that could go wrong.

Obviously, as he realized later, the smartest move would've been to leave right then and find someone to give him a ride home. Stealing a car was a reasonable idea as well, compared to what he was about to do at least.

"Please, let me pass," he said in a low voice, going with the polite speech for starters.

The tall gray haired guy in front of him started to laugh obnoxiously, doing a pretty good job at pissing off the blond. "Eat shit, new fucker. Learn the fucking school rules first."

Had it been only that one guy, Deidara would've grabbed his shirt and shoved him out of the way. Unfortunately, it was eight against one, the odds clearly not being in his favor. Deidara had no idea how the hell he had managed to break the rules already, without having even entered the school building yet.

"If you let me through, I will be able to get the list of rules from the principal," Deidara suggested with a fake smile, deciding to give politeness one more chance.

A dark-haired boy next to him, with a seriously scarred face, chuckled. "No, you see," he explained, bending forward so he was on eye-level with the blond. "He meant the rules that count."

With a jolt of surprise, Deidara realized that all the people who had been staring at him before in the front yard, were now watching even more intensively. It was the same time that he understood he'd run right into the lap of the local badass bully-group. He wanted to face palm himself for not realizing it earlier. Better late than never.

Deidara had thought about this before, though - what role would he take when encountering people like these. The humble apologizing one who would try to avoid them as much as possible, the wannabe macho willing to join them, or the defying rebel? While this situation was seriously testing his patience, it also made up his mind. There was no way he'd be looking up to guys like this, he'd be better off dead. Ironically, this could've exactly been the case.

To both, the audience's and the badass group's surprise, Deidara started to laugh. It was a quiet chuckle at first, but gained volume, until he was shaking all over his body. Calming down, he wiped away the tear that had appeared in the corner of his eye. With a wide grin, he looked up at the stunned guys, his smile vanishing the exact moment he started to talk.

"I don't know whose rules you're following, and to be honest, I don't give a _single _shit either," he spat, leaving behind all possible traces of humbleness and politeness. "I'm playing according my own rules." He paused for a moment, staring in the eyes of the silver-haired guy. "_Now_, if you'd be so damn _kind_, and just get your superior asses out of my _way,_ I could go find the headmaster of this damn shit."

Deidara was well aware that he was playing with fire, but he didn't really care. If they decided to start a fight, they wouldn't be able to kill him just yet and that was all he cared about.

Two redheads from the back of the group stepped forwards, one of them having piercings all over his face, the other looking almost normal, a wide smirk on his face. "Looks like we have a new hot head cheerleader candidate here," the almost-normal one spoke.

Deidara frowned, but didn't take offence. He would've been utterly frustrated, had he not been so used to being mistaken for a girl. "I'm male, asshole."

A blue-skinned boy in the group made an overly dramatic face, theatrically mourning a great loss, some of the others laughing at his acting. Deidara clenched his fists, desperately trying to hold himself back from smacking all of their retarded faces. _No, he wouldn't attack first, his excuse would be self-defense_.

"Yeah, to become a cheerleader, there _is_a limit on how flat you can be," the "normal", scratch that, "asshole" redhead quipped, looking at Deidara with dark brown eyes, a playful glint gleaming in them. Deidara found the shine kind of hypnotizing.

"Are you going to let me through now or should I come back during your naptime?" Deidara asked sarcastically, taking a step towards the insulting redhead.

"A little moody now, aren't we?" the boy smirked, taking a step forward as well. "Are you on your period?"

_Oh, come on, that's the oldest one in the book, _Deidara rolled his eyes and looked away, then swirled back, aiming a punch straight in the redhead's face. He was _so _fed up with that arrogance that he really didn't care about breaking the rules on the first day anymore. He just wanted to smack that pretty face of his.

The redhead dodged easily, aiming a punch in Deidara's stomach, but missing as the blond had already retreated out of his reach. A familiar smile that always came with a challenge flashed on the blond's face when he looked into his opponent's mud-brown eyes. The other members of the group backed off a little, giving him the confidence it would be a one-on-one battle.

"So, you want to fight, blondie?" the redhead asked, not being able to hide how much this amused him. Straightening up, he took a few steps down the road, approaching the blond with confidence written all over his face.

Deidara wasn't scared. "Anytime."

He dashed forwards, ready to throw a punch, but turned around when the redhead dodged it. Left in a position with his back at his opponent, before the wannabe badass could take advantage of it, he swirled his foot around, making the redhead fall down. In a nanosecond, he was on top of him, straddling him, grabbing his shirt and yanking it forward.

"What now, playboy, ah?" Deidara spat in his face. "I don't find you so tough _now. _What are you gonna do? Call for those other assholes? 'Cause you couldn't handle me by yourself? _Coward!_"

Deidara quieted. His expression turned confused at the redhead's calm face. He still looked confident, almost _relaxed, _despite the position he was in. Which meant he had a plan, a secret triumph.

Deidara held him tightly, so there'd be no way for him to shake him off, drilling into his stoic eyes. _What are you being so confident about, bastard? _he wanted to ask, but thought better of it. Racking his brains, he tried thinking his way, to see the situation through his eyes.

_What could've possibly…?_

Realization thundered through him in a cold bolt when he felt something softly stroking his thigh, slipping into his pocket. He had no time to react as a small clay bomb, designed to create mainly smoke, was whipped out and set off.

Deidara fell backwards onto the ground, covering his mouth and coughing into his palm. He couldn't open his eyes and tried to make his way out of the smoke by fumbling, when something icy wrapped around his wrists, pulling him up off the ground.

Having trouble breathing, he struggled to free his hands, but his attempts were futile. Whatever it was that had trapped him, seemed to be made of steel.

The smoke started to clear a little, or maybe it was Deidara floating farther from it, but soon he was away from the cloud, leaving it between him and the schoolhouse. Between him and the bullies.

His eyes cracked open and he peered up at his hands. They looked like... strings, wrapped tightly around his arms, keeping him imprisoned. _How the hell…?_

A low chuckle made Deidara snap his head towards it. There, right on the boarder between the cloud and clearness, stood the Redhead the Asshole in all his pretty glory, gazing at the blond with dreamy eyes that soon turned sadistic.

"Feeling trapped?" he snickered as he neared in an even, calm pace. His one hand was reaching out and Deidara saw where the strings around his arms led to. They were connected to the redhead's fingertips.

"Asshole," Deidara hissed, resisting the urge to spit in his face.

Moving so close that his lips almost touched the blonde's ear, the redhead whispered, "With you continuing like this, it'll be your asshole on line."

Deidara felt all color drain from his face, but he kept his voice strong when whispering back, "You'll be dead before something like that happens."

The redhead chuckled, running his finger up Deidara's cheek and kissing his ear softly, "That's what they all say."

"SASORI!" a voice bellowed from within the smoke. The redhead stopped molesting the blond's ear for a moment, cupping his cheek and touching his nose with his own. His smile was sweet, coming to a contrast with Deidara's dreadful grimace. "We're leaving. Now."

Sasori pecked the blond's lips, like a lover kissing goodbye, and slowly pulled away. He turned on his heel, releasing Deidara from the strings and dropping him on the ground. The smoke had cleared, the six boys in a cluster waiting for Sasori. Fuming, Deidara watched Sasori join them and troop away.

Deidara was left on his knees and hands on the ground. Gritting his teeth, he stood up, brushing the dust off his jeans. _Damn fucking motherfucking assholes. I hope you get hit by a car, or better yet, fives trucks, and die a very painful death. _He grabbed his bag and pushed in through the front doors, trying not to think about all the people that had just witnessed the incident.

Walking inside the school, searching for the headmaster's office, he noticed that in spite of the building's outlook, it looked completely normal from the inside. The only thing that irritated him was that there was no map, nor could he spot any signs that would lead him to his destination.

Deciding to stop, he let out a loud sigh, leaning against a wall. He ran his hand through his blonde hair, scarping his bang back in frustration. It fell back in front of his left eye, looking a little rustled.

"Hello! You must be Deidara." A female voice made Deidara look up, finding a smiling pink-haired girl standing in front of him. She was wearing a red uniform dress and had her hand stretched out. "I'm Sakura. Ms. Tsunade sent me looking for you, predicting you'd get lost."

Deidara gave a small nod, shaking the girl's hand and pushing himself away from the wall. "Yeah, she got that right."

The girl chuckled, motioning down the hallway and for the boy to follow him. She led Deidara through about five corridors, turning corners at unexpected times. Finally, they arrived in front of a wooden double-leaved door, with a miniature sign that read 'Principal' on it. It looked as though it was meant to be so that people wouldn't find it easily.

"Here we are," said Sakura. Without knocking, she entered, Deidara following her inside. The doors swung shut with a quiet thump. Deidara looked around. The office was quite lofty, having many bookshelves and one huge desk with a woman in her early thirties, supposedly principal Tsunade, sitting behind it.

"You're Iwaga Deidara?" the woman asked Deidara, looking up from her papers. Her face was as calm as an assassin's and Deidara immediately got the feeling that there was more to this woman than met the eye. _Oh, please, cut out the paranoia. There's no need for it anymore, _Deidara's subconscious lectured. He sighed and just nodded as an answer.

Giving a nod as well, Tsunade handed him some papers, saying, "Here is your schedule, a copy of school rules" - Deidara frowned at that - "and the map of the school. All your textbooks are already waiting for you on the bookshelf in your new room. Sakura will lead you to the room. You may go now."

Deidara gave a silent "thank you" and went out of the room, following Sakura.

"So," the girl said, trying to start a conversation as they paced down the hallway. "How do you like this school so far?"

Deidara frowned at that. He would've preferred avoiding the topic. "The students here are... nice."

Sakura laughed at his expression. "Give them some time and you will have no problem fitting in."

Deidara thought that she probably wouldn't have said that had she seen what'd happened in the front yard less than an hour ago. Not that he was going to tell her, she'd find out soon enough without him saying anything. Both of them stayed quiet until they arrived at his new room.

Deidara took the key that had been put between his papers and unlocked the door, stepping inside as Sakura followed him. There was a bunk bed, a drawer, two desks, one of them completely occupied by papers while the other only had a laptop on it, and two bookshelves. Deidara saw some neatly folded linen on the upper bed.

Seeing the two beds, something occurred to him. "Hey, Sakura," he said to get the girl's attention. "Do you know who my roommate is?"

The girl laughed again, giving Deidara the feeling he was missing an inside joke. _She laughs a lot, _the boy commented mentally, waiting for an answer. "Deidara, _everybody_knows who lives in this room."

Deidara raised his eyebrows, surprised. He was going to live with a celebrity? Cool. That amusing thought made him smile.

"Sasori."

Deidara's smile died in an instant, being replaced with a horrified grimace.

"That's right," Sakura went on, without noticing the change in Deidara's expression. "You just moved into this town, right? I mean, _everybody in this city_knows about him and the Akatsuki."

"Sasori... who?" Deidara asked, forcing his breathing into normal. He remembered clearly what his torturer had been called, but a faint hope inside him told him that it could've been some_ other _Sasori. Maybe the name was common here.

"It's possible you haven't met him yet. A little taller than you, red hair,-" Deidara's hope vanished a little more with every detail he got to know."-brown eyes, smoking hot-"

"The _playboy?_" Deidara gasped, cutting Sakura off.

"Yeah," she nodded and smiled. All color from Deidara's face had drained away, the second time that day. He began to shiver and felt like throwing up.

"Me. Resign. Now."

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_To be continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

_Yeah, new chapter ready already! Enjoy~~_

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**Chapter 2**

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"Me. Resign. NOW."

"Well, there may be a little problem with that," Sakura started, smiling apologetically, making Deidara even more depressed as he watched her with pleading eyes. "You see, you cannot leave the school and there are no more free rooms and-"

While Sakura was talking, Deidara was weighing his options on how he wouldn't have to share the room with that bastard. He wasn't too keen on the idea of beating someone to the hospital, only to get the chance to change roommates, but he was seriously considering beating the redhead up. Every rule had an exception, right? Even angels committed sins to save lives, and living in the same room with him pretty much put his own life at stake.

"-Anyway, to be honest, Ms. Tsunade felt really sorry for having to do this," Sakura said in an attempt to make Deidara feel a little better. The boy's face expressed how pathetically she had failed. He brought his hand up to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose.

_Calm down now. This is far from the worst thing that has happened. _Letting out a heavy sigh, he counted mentally to ten. …eight, nine, ten.

"Yeah, yeah," he said then in an almost composed voice. "Don't worry, we'll survive." Deidara looked up, giving the girl a soothing smile. He didn't want her pity nor to make her feel bad.

_At least one of us will, _he added in his mind, but didn't say it out loud. The girl was smiling like a waitress, her head tilted to the side. She looked kind-hearted and Deidara felt like a demon, compared to her. Here was he, thinking about killing his roommate, and then there was this innocent girl next to him, who looked like she wouldn't hurt a fly. The thought made Deidara feel uncomfortable and he shifted his weight to his other leg.

"Um...," he mumbled, trying to find the best way to get rid of the girl. He wanted to be left alone to be able to unpack, flip a table and curse this place in all ways he could think of. He didn't want this girl here to witness it, nor did he want to insult her. Damn it. Humans. He gave it a try, at least. "I'm going to unpack and shit, so you can leave. Thanks for showing me the way," he said, the last sentence being meant to express good manners. And one more attempt at being friendly:"Are you in the same grade as me?"

The girl nodded. "Yes, we'll probably have some classes together."

Deidara marked that she didn't sound the slightest bit offended with a relieved sigh. He returned the smile, not really sure if it was sincere or not. "Great. See you around then."

That was an official goodbye. Sakura waved and left the room, leaving Deidara alone. His smile lasted only until the door closed. Then he swirled around, grabbing his hair in frustration. He wanted to smack his head against the bunk bed or, better yet, blow the bed up. He loved the idea of seeing Sasori's shocked and terrified expression at his actions. He would've taken the deadliest bomb in his sack and slowly moved closer, Sasori's life flashing before his eyes…

Deidara opened his eyes and realized he was actually smiling broadly. This couldn't have been good. Why did he let that bastard affect him so greatly? Pathetic. This wasn't the time to lose his head. He'd better have all his things unpacked before the redhead returned. Staying as far as he could from him would surely prove to be the best way out.

He unzipped his bag and started putting his clothes into the empty drawers. One of the bookshelves was empty except for some textbooks lying on it. He put the books into the order he liked and added some of his own books and notebooks he had taken with him. After putting his writing pads and pencils into the upper desk drawer, he made his bed.

Done with that as well, he took a look around. The room looked nice, he had to admit. If _only _he had the chance to switch roommates…

Seeing that he had nothing left to do there, he grabbed his schedule, the school map, things for his next class, which was English, and his keys, and rushed out of the room. That was when the bell rang. Chances were he'd be late. Oh well. This day had been too good anyway. Growling, he ran down the stairs.

Fortunately, he reached the English class in less than a minute. Unfortunately, he found the class empty, making it clear that it was the wrong room. Frantically, finally truly understanding he'd be late, he checked his schedule and the map again. The schedule told him that the lesson would take place in class 304, which, according to the map and the sign on the door, was exactly where he was at the moment.

"ARGH!" Deidara screamed in the empty hallway, tearing the map into many-many pieces and throwing them onto the floor. To his annoyance, they didn't even fall right down, but took their time floating in the air before they reached the ground. Feeling completely enraged, Deidara kicked one of the floating pieces with his foot, having no effect on the paper though. He had no way to vent his feelings.

Suddenly, he heard someone chuckle from a corner of the hallway. Since the hallway had been empty only a second ago, Deidara was taken by surprise. He jumped before turning around, only to see his personal nightmare standing a few meters from him.

"Still on your period, blondie?"

Before this could've turned into a new fight, Deidara turned on his heel and started running, leaving the pieces of paper lying on the floor. He dashed down the stairs to the second floor, looking around in the emptiness. Everybody was in class already and he had no one to ask for help from. He sat down on the floor beside a window, resting his forehead on his knees, trying to decide what to do now.

"There's no use in running, if you're on the wrong road." There was no telling how come the redhead had got there so fast, but his voice made the blond wince again, as though he'd been shocked with an electric gun.

Deidara looked up to see Sasori leaning against the wall, smiling down at him. His face was doll-like and beautiful in the fallen angel kind of way, which had hypnotized hell knows how many girls and guys in the past. Deidara didn't want to be one of them. The only good thing about the redhead was his outlook, he was rotten inside. Deidara knowingly blocked out the voice in his head that reminded him he was no angel himself. He clenched his fist and smacked it against the redhead's foot.

"Just shut up and leave me alone," he said, turning back to rest his head on his knees. _Let me have my solitude at least._

Without even wincing at being attacked, Sasori just kept on smiling. It had been a smart move on Deidara's part to avert his eyes from his face. Way too handsome to be legal. "You _sure _you don't want my help with finding your English classroom?"

"Firstly, I would rather die than ask for your help," Deidara snapped at him.

"Ouch."

Deidara continued without paying attention, "Secondly and thirdly, shouldn't you be in class and how the _hell_did you know what lesson I'm supposed to be having at the moment?"

"You know, you're pretty full of yourself," Sasori said casually, his tone – and face - amused. His hands were crossed on his chest, and a few pieces of his red hair had fallen across his forehead the wrong way, getting into his eyes. He flipped his hair, too cool to smooth it away like normal people would.

Deidara rolled his eyes, "Look who's talking." He could see through this boy like he could see through clear water. It was so obvious he was trying his best to act cool. Why? – Deidara didn't know. Iy would have been enough if he'd just stood there, smiling, to drive any girl or gay crazy. Why did he have to ruin it with his personality?

Sasori let out a sigh, letting his hands drop and straightened up. "Just get up, we're going to English." He didn't say it as an order; more like a suggestion since he had gotten tired of the blond's stubbornness.

Deidara stood up, grabbing his stuff from the ground. "You're in the same grade as me?"

Sasori didn't answer, but it was obvious even without his confirmation. They walked together to the fourth floor and to the end of the hallway, Deidara looking around, trying to memorize the way. He didn't have a map anymore.

Just before they reached the double-leaved door, Sasori swirled around, making Deidara stop in an instant as well. He looked the blond up and down, tilting his head to the side a little. Deidara quirked an eyebrow, wordlessly waiting for an explanation.

"You look hot," Sasori stated, a mischievous smirk making its way across his lips.

Deidara kept up the calm appearance at Sasori's comment, though growing more and more impatient on the inside. "Well, it's _great _that a bastard like you finds me attractive, but we really need to get to class," he said sarcastically, stepping forwards as if planning to walk through the redhead, but backed off again when seeing Sasori taking a step forwards as well.

"Why?" the redhead purred, a wild spark dancing in his eyes.

Before he had time to react, Deidara saw Sasori extending his hand like he'd done before, the same strings wrapping themselves around his wrists and pulling him closer. Just like before, he tried to break free, but with little success. The fallen angel Sasori was welcoming him to his web with a wide smile.

"_AKASUNA! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" _a strong voice bellowed from behind them, making both of them freeze momentarily._ "GET INTO THE CLASROOM, NOW!"_

Sasori promptly released Deidara, who landed safely on his feet this time, before turning to face the teacher behind him. "But _sir_, I was only helping the new student find his classroom," he said with playful note in his voice. Deidara wasn't sure whether the teacher noticed it.

"Oh," he mumbled, clearly surprised by Sasori actually doing something _good._"Well," he said, collecting himself. "Get into the classroom now." Still smiling, Sasori passed him, going through the door. "You too, Mr. Iwaga!" the teacher said, glancing at Deidara and holding the door open.

The blond nodded apologetically, following Sasori into the room while keeping his head down. _Oh the humiliation._

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_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

****_Enjoy~ ^^ _

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**Chapter 3**

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"Hello, I'm Deidara Iwaga."

Deidara was, for the third time, compelled to introduce himself in front of the whole class. This time, it was the art class. Deidara didn't blush, feel uncomfortable nor did he even stammer. He was used to being in front of people, feeling all the eyes on him. After all, his new classmates weren't as unique as to be the only ones mistaking him for a hot chick. In his previous school, he couldn't even walk down the hallway without a straight guy or two trying to ask him out on a date.

"For all of you who still haven't figured it out, I'm a guy." Deidara paid no attention to the whispers and 'I told you so's that sounded from various parts of the room. He let his eyes run over the rows of students from left to right and from right to left again, making sure to not stop on one person for more than a few seconds. He was fully aware of skipping a glance at Sasori.

"I moved here from Germany. I was born here, in Japan, though. My parents travel a lot because of work, so I've also lived in America, Spain, the Netherlands, Russia and China." Deidara couldn't suppress the smirk that was brought on by his classmates' astonished expressions. "That is all," he said, turning to the teacher.

The teacher nodded, and Deidara had already presumed he was dismissed, when he heard the man say, "So class, any questions for your new classmate?"

Deidara shot the man a glare that he didn't notice. About 15 hands were up in a second. Reluctantly, Deidara turned towards the class slowly, his mouth in a thin, straight line. "Yes," he hissed loudly enough for everyone to hear. "I am absolutely_ positive_that I'm a guy and therefore, I cannot date straight guys." _Not that I ever wanted to date any of you morons anyway. _

Half of the boys let their hands down. Deidara wondered briefly what the other questions could've been about. Why on Earth would've anyone wanted to know anything about him? Didn't they have lives of their own?

"Are you single?" a girl with dark hair asked, making two hands drop. Deidara didn't let his confusion show, only nodded slightly. A few students in the back high-fived. Deidara felt the urge to shake his head in disapproval. These people were such morons.

"Are you straight?"

Deidara shrugged, preferring gestures over words. He had never dated, but if he had to choose, he would've chosen boys. After all, he _did_ think that the redhead was attractive. On the other hand, he also knew a few girls who looked hot… so, let's make it bi?

"Is it true that you're going to live in the same room as Sasori?" another girl from the front asked.

Deidara looked at her and then glanced at the redhead at the back of the class, who obviously wasn't paying any attention to the questions. Deidara rolled his eyes. Wannabe badass. He gave a curt nod as a reply to the girl's question.

"WOULD YOU WANT TO CHANGE ROOMMATES WITH ME?"

The sudden shout snapped Deidara out of his daze and he looked around in the classroom to see who had said it. But it was already too late; that one shout had given all the other morons the needed courage again, and now there was at least twenty people shouting the same question, each one trying to be as loud as possible, so Deidara'd pick them.

This time, Deidara couldn't keep his bored expression. Instead, his mouth fell open out of surprise of how popular Sasori was. There didn't seem to be a single soul in this classroom who didn't want to trade with him. What morons. Deidara turned to the teacher, hands steepled in front of his face and eyes full of hope as he pleaded, "Can I?"

The teacher thought it over for a moment. "Well, technically yes, but that would require both the principal's _and_Sasori's agreement."

A loud groan echoed in the classroom. Deidara guessed that asking Tsunade for permission wasn't the problem, but no one wanted to go ask the poisonously deadly redhead. His face fell. He saw a few students in the front row glance at Sasori before turning to him. "Could you... like... ask him? You had no trouble standing up to him before," a blond boy asked, shielding his mouth with his hand. The three girls by his sides nodded encouragingly.

_No trouble?_ Deidara repeated the line in his head, gritting his teeth._He had almost gotten raped right there on the spot and THAT was what they called NO TROUBLE?_At the same time, he stumbled upon a different thought. _Everyone was afraid of asking him, but, at the same time, they still wanted to live in the same room with him? What the fuck? Fuck logic much?_

Deidara wasn't sure whether it was pity or detest he felt towards his classmates. Either way, he was determined to ask the devil. He didn't want to do it for his classmates, but for himself. This was his chance for a normal school year!

A velvet voice that silenced the classroom startled everyone and Deidara paled. "I have no intentions of changing roommates, so you can all just jump off a cliff." And there, he'd done it. Sasori had just killed Deidara's bird of hope.

He glanced around, taking the reactions of his classmates. After all, the redhead had just suggested they'd all kill themselves. With irritation starting to boil his blood, he realized he couldn't spot one offended expression. Not only that, but there were actually a few staring at the redhead with admiration, drool dripping from their mouths. Deidara pinched the bridge of nose and sighed in frustration. _Pitiful morons._

Since everybody remained silent after that, the teacher – Mr. Kuro – allowed Deidara to return to his seat. He did, sternly walking to the back of the class and pulling out the chair next to Sasori. Just like the dorm rooms, all the seats in every class had been taken, except for the ones next to Sasori. The blond could tell this was going to be a _long_school year.

"You're the devil," Deidara said, looking at the grinning Sasori. "But that's okay. I've always wanted to kill the devil."

-x-

Deidara was staring at his food tray, the grimace on his face expressing disgust. Potatoes with fried fish and green salad. He was fine with the potatoes and salad; it was the fish he couldn't stand. A living being, far more innocent than any of the human beings, had been killed only to be put on a vegetarian's plate, who wasn't going to eat him anyway. What a waste of morals. A low sigh escaped his lips.

He looked around in the cafeteria to find a place to sit at. Involuntarily, his eyes halted on the table Sasori was sitting at, along with his gang of retards. Quickly, before the redhead could notice him looking his way, Deidara turned his gaze to find Sakura waving at him, inviting him to join her. The table was full except for one free spot. Relieved, Deidara decided to join the group.

"Hey, Dei!" Sakura exclaimed, smiling widely. "Let me introduce you my friends. This is Ino" - a pony-tailed girl, sitting next to Sakura, waved - "Tenten" - a dark-haired girl smiled at him - "Shikamaru" - a caveman-like boy with a bored expression, gave a curt nod - "and Neji" - a boy with long dark hair looked up from his food for a second when his name was mentioned, then turned to face his plate again. "People, this is Deidara, the new kid," Sakura said, ending the introduction with a smile.

The blond was welcomed with some muffled greetings from the group.

"Sakura, everyone already knows him," Ino laughed, rolling her eyes. "He's the new kid who got into a fight with Sasori in front of the schoolhouse this morning."

"Right after he had talked back to Hidan and Kakuzu," Tenten added.

"He's in my grade," Shikamaru muttered, eyes focused on his food.

"And he's Akasuna's new roommate," Neji said matter-of-factly. He looked solemn and the type of guy who never liked to sugar coat facts. He would've made a perfect general, Deidara thought. He liked the character.

Sakura looked at Deidara, her expression showing she was almost as surprised as he was. "Boy, you're almost as famous as the Akatsuki."

"Who are the Akatsuki?" Deidara asked, quirking an eyebrow. He had heard the name before, but never knew what it meant. Was it a local pop-group, perhaps?

"You don't know who the Akatsuki are?" Neji asked, giving him a skeptical look.

Deidara shrugged. "I've been overseas for quite a while."

"That group over there," Shikamaru said, pointing at Sasori's table, Deidara's eyes following his finger. "is the Akatsuki." Deidara blinked, looking at the group with a whole new different look. They had a name? No way. What a bunch of snobs.

"They're like a low-rank yakuza in this town," Neji explained. "Acting like they own the school and the town."

"Regardless of what you're saying, they seem to be pretty popular," Deidara mused, taking a sip from his glass, eyes still on the group. Could've there been something more to them or were they simply what they seemed to be – stuck-up bullies? It was odd that he'd never heard of them.

"Oh, _they are,_" Ino said, getting excited. "It's like they're every straight girl's and gay boy's dream. The ones _not_into men, only want to be like them and would join them under any circumstances." She giggled, a light blush tinting her cheeks pink.

"I wouldn't," Deidara, Neji and Shikamaru all said in synchrony.

Tenten started to laugh. "Oh, no one's having any doubts about you, Deidara," she assured him. "You're like the first person _ever_to stand up to the Akatsuki _and_walk away from it. Keep this up and you'll go down in history."

"I feel like Harry Potter," Deidara muttered, finally averting his eyes from the group.

-x-

Deidara was lying on his new bed, fully dressed. It was around 6 o'clock in the evening and he had now officially fed up with this no school, so he wanted to take a time-out.

When Sasori walked into the room, he found the blond listening to music on his mp3-player. Deidara's foolproof plan was to concentrate on the music with his eyes closed and ignore his roommate. Sasori smirked at the sight, seeing through the plan easily. He sneaked up to him, snatching an earphone from his ear and inserting it in his own.

Deidara's eyes flew open and he bolted up, ready to take back his possession, when Sasori held up his index finger. Deidara glared at him, eyebrows lowered, but let him listen. In his head, he was counting seconds, though.

"Black Veil Brides – Set The World On Fire?" Sasori guessed, taking the device out of his ear and holding it out for the blond.

"You know their songs?" Deidara asked, astonished, snatching his earphone back. So the devil actually had a decent taste in music. Who would've guessed? From his outlook, Deidara would've assumed he listened to some mainstream artists, like Far East Movement or Skrillex or something.

"By heart," Sasori replied with a smile. Deidara examined his expression for a moment, finding it surprisingly _friendly. _ "_So sing it loud you hold the key, we're the rebels and we're free... It's time to burn all that you see, now the world belongs to me_..."

"_Fight for all you know, when your back's against the wall, stand against-,"_Deidara automatically continued, until catching on to what he was doing. He stopped immediately and gave the smirking Sasori a death glare, before lying down again, inserting the earphone back in his ear.

He may have had good taste, but he was still a bastard. Period.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	4. Chapter 4

****_I don't even know what to say. I'm just working my ass off here, writing all this chapters to not keep people waiting lol. Even though there are really few people reading this, compared to last time at least. Oh well, I HAD to re-do it. I couldn't post the old version of it on dA :S And If I was going to re-do it anyway, why not post the new chaps here as well? Okays, here's the chap:_

* * *

_**Chapter 4**  
_

* * *

_Oh god. Fuck fuck fuck fuck. Not happening. Scheisse. Shit. I'm going to be fucking LATE._

Deidara was literally running around in circles in his dorm room, looking for his scrunchie. He'd slept in and when he'd finally awoken, there'd been only 10 minutes left before the class started. At least Sasori had already been gone.

Deidara was almost ready now, the only thing left was his damn scrunchie. Just like there was no way he'd ever let _anyone_cut his hair, there was no way he'd _ever_leave his room with his long blonde hair down. With his hair down, he wouldn't even be able to convince his own mother that he was a guy.

He stopped suddenly, swirling around when he realized he was supposed to have a spare one in his bag. Unzipping the lock, he began digging just as he heard a knock on the door. Cussing under his breath, he tried to ignore the irritating sound, guessing it would be just another student pleading to him to change roommates. If his calculations were correct, that would've made the fifth one that morning.

"_Finally,"_he hissed under his breath when coming across the right fabric at the bottom of his bag. He tore it out and, without doing his hair, dashed to the door and swung it open to put an end to the irritating knocking.

"_No, I CANNOT CHANGE ROOMMATES WITH YOU! IF YOU'RE SO IN LOVE WITH THAT MOTHERFUCKING BASTARD, WHY DON'T YOU JUST MARRY HIM? YOU CAN MAKE THE REST OF HIS DAMN GANG YOUR BRIDESMAIDS. IN MY OPINION, THEY LOOK GOOD IN PINK,"_Deidara yelled, his eyes closed tightly to make his grimace fuller. Only after spitting the last word at the intruders did he spare a glance at them, his grimace turning into a shocked expression in a second.

He froze for a second, recognizing the stunned faces of Pein, Kakuzu, Hidan and Itachi staring right at him. Whatever they had been expecting, this had not been it. Pein's fist was still raised, left in that position from when he'd knocked.

"Oh shit," Deidara muttered, automatically slamming the door shut in their faces. _I am so dead,_he thought, his brain still processing what had just happened. Back against the door to make sure no one got in, he took a minute to pull his thoughts together. _One deep breath and... exhale again slowly. _He glanced at the clock and experienced the panic attack all over again.

_1 minute left._

Deidara grabbed his books from the shelf and dashed frantically out of the room, brushing against Pein on his way. "He's not in there!" Deidara shouted at them when he passed, not daring to slow down. _I am so going to get killed for that,_he thought, mentally smacking himself against the head a thousand times for being so reckless. But could he do? It was in his nature to be reckless.

He got to his History class just in the nick of time, hurriedly sprinting down the aisle and plopping down on his seat next to Sasori. Leaning against the backrest and staring in front of him without seeing anything, he waited for his breathing to return to normal. He was aware of the pair of brown eyes gazing at him. He didn't want to look into them. Leaning forwards, he yanked off a blank page out of his notebook and started writing.

_Your LOVELY gang was looking for you_

He shoved the note at Sasori. Quirking an eyebrow at it, the redhead let his eyes run over the sentence before he shook his head. He began writing and slid the paper back.

_They weren't looking for me._

The crease between his eyes expressed Deidara's confusion when he stared at his roommate, his lips pressed tightly against one another in a straight line.

_They showed up behind our door, _Deidara wrote, hating the fact that there had to be _anything _'our' between him and Sasori. There were stuff that belonged to him, and then there were stuff that belonged to Sasori. There would never be anything that'd be s_hared. _Hell no, Deidara would rather give up on things than _share _them with the redhead.

Sasori chuckled – what an annoying sound it was, it irked the blond -, before writing back.

_I sent them_

Deidara's face turned into a huge question mark. He felt like writing a whole paragraph on subjects such as Sasori's bullying complex, his irrational thinking and – of course – how much he annoyed the blond. But he thought better of it when the teacher passed their table and he had to cover the piece of paper with his hand. A short message would have to do, if he didn't want to get caught.

_Why THE HELL would you do that?_

_To wake you up~_

_1 MINUTE BEFORE CLASS? And I repeat: WHY ?_

_I didn't want you to miss the whole class_

_Hypocritical bastard_

_You are welcome_

Deidara gaped at the paper, staring in disbelief. How full of oneself could one be? There _had _to be some limits! Limits that Sasori had obviously already crossed.

"_I was already awake,"_he hissed, turning to face the redhead. Sasori flashed a broad smile at him and looked like he was about to say something, when they both flinched at the teacher's piercing voice.

"Mr. Iwaga, is there anything you'd like to share with the rest of the class?"

Deidara felt like hitting the teacher. His eyes darted down to the table. _Of course, blame me, since I was obviously talking to myself. _This school was making him want to blow something up. Not that he wouldn't have wanted to do that while being anywhere else, but this place was seriously worsening that urge.

"No, sir," gave a smug nod before turning away to continue with his lecture hardly anyone was listening to.

Deidara let out a frustrated sigh he tried to muffle with his hand, and scribbled one last line on the paper, shoving it at his desk-mate. Deidara didn't even bother looking at him.

_Please, remember that I truly hate you._

Sasori took the note and put it away before the teacher could spot it.

Deidara tried not to brush against anyone as he moved towards his friends' table in the cafeteria. He kept glancing nervously at his bowl brimming with hot soup, while still trying to watch where he was going. He was aware of the fact that he was walking even slower than an overweight snail, but decided it to be worth it, if he managed to reach the table without spilling any soup on his tray.

Eyes on the bowl, he could see it flipping over with the tray in a flash motion. The next thing he knew, hot liquid was burning his skin through his T-shirt and he'd spilled both the tray and the bowl.

"What the fu-?" he started to say when he looked up and recognized the face. The sentence turned into a low groan. Hidan, the one who had slammed the tray all over him, was standing in front of him, Kakuzu and Kisame hovering behind him. Deidara could almost feel all the eyes in the cafeteria staring at them. They just had to pick a fight, didn't they? Couldn't live without him, eh?

"Dude, what's your fucking damage?" Deidara yelled, wishing they'd just leave him alone. He wasn't in this school to fight and be the hero who saves the day by taking down the bullies! He couldn't care less about the bullies! He just wanted to live in peace for some time. Was that too much to ask for?

"You were talking about a marriage earlier today," Kakuzu started, cracking his knuckles in a way that made Deidara want to cover his ears and scream. But he didn't. Instead, giving everyone the feeling of déjà vu, he started to laugh, leaving an impression that he needed therapy. "Oh, you mean this morning?" he asked, although there was already no doubt about it. "Sorry about that, I didn't mean it. To be honest, I don't think pink is your colour."

Deidara sensed that Hidan was about to grab him by his shirt, so he hopped a couple of steps back to avoid the male's grasp and grabbed the nearest bowl, which happened to be Neji's, shoving it into Hidan's face. "_FOOD FIGHT!"_he yelled.

Not for a second had he thought this would work. He had seen it in many American movies, but had always thought there'd be no way for it to happen in real life. And now, there he stood, yelling the command like a general in front of an army, and watched multiple trays start to fly through the air.

In less than a minute, the cafeteria was filled with noise and flying food, ruined clothes and screaming teenagers. Deidara stared wide-eyed. He couldn't believe it. Even in Japan?

Before he could get hit by a straight head-shot, Deidara ducked, hearing someone behind him getting hit instead. After a minute of staring at his personal miracle, the blond came to the realization of how much trouble he was in. Not only was he going to be blamed for the whole thing, but he had also slammed a bowl of hot soup all over the face of one of the most dangerous bastards in the school.

What were they going to do? Deidara glanced around quickly, not able to spot them. Shove his head into a toilet? He was so not going to sit around and wait for that to happen.

Willing to leave the battlefield alive, Deidara started moving towards the exit, ducking and dodging from time to time, trying to stay invisible. After pushing the door open, he broke into a run. While he was still looking behind at the cafeteria entrance, he wasn't exactly paying attention to where he was going, until he barged into someone. They both fell down with a loud smash (and a couple of 'ows'), Deidara landing on top.

The blond was about to mutter his sincerest apologizes, when he took notice of the person beneath him. _Hello, my next nightmare, _he thought.

"Hey, hottie. Where's the fire?"

Deidara got up in an instant, even more worried over the pose someone could find them in than over what had happened in the cafeteria. He swirled around and was about to flee, but Sasori had got up as well and put his hand around the blond's waist before he had the chance to escape. "I mean it, where are you going?"

"Not. Your. Business." Deidara hissed, struggling to get free. He put his hands against Sasori's chest and tried to push away, but to no avail.

"I'll let you go, if you tell me," Sasori promised with a smile that bared his white teeth.

Deidara looked at him sceptically, but decided that he didn't have a choice. "Hidan slammed a food tray all over my shirt to get back on me for the things I yelled at them in the morning. In return, I splashed Neji's soup over his face and started a food fight," he explained in one breath, not stopping with the struggling. "Now if you _excuse_ me, I'd like to take my leave before your moronic friends get here and beat the shit out of me."

Sasori burst out laughing so hard he almost let the blond go, but collected himself soon enough to tighten his grip. "You are quite the rebel. I haven't met anyone who could even look straight into Hidan's eyes for ages, let alone throw food into his face."

"You. Promised!" Deidara whined noisily, while still trying to get out of the redhead's grip. His face was cringed up in a grimace. Had he seriously just made the mistake of _trusting _his roommate? Was he stupid or what?

Sasori laughed out loud again, wrapping his other hand around the blond's waist, pulling the blond's back even closer to his chest.

"Do you really expect me to keep such an idiotic promise?" he breathed against Deidara's neck, his cold breath brushing against the skin. "Why would I ever let go of the hottest person I've stumbled upon? Or, to be accurate, who has stumbled upon me."

"Because, promises are meant to be kept," Deidara hissed and began to take steps forwards, in spite of the redhead clinging to him like clue. "Like this one – I promise that if I ever escape your grip, I'll beat you until you fall down in pieces."

"Let me rephrase that for you," Sasori said, not letting the blond's struggling bother him. "You will beat me up, if I let go. Guess I have no other choice then than to hold on to you forever."

Deidara growled in frustration, while continuing with his attempts of moving forward. "Now that I think about it, I'd much rather be held by _Hidan_than you," he muttered, not knowing what he was trying to accomplish by saying that.

"Ouch." Sasori chuckled. "It hurts, but I will let him know."

"_You-_" Before Deidara could spit the rest of the words of his threat, an announcement cut him off.

"_Deidara Iwaga, into my office."_There was no mistaking Tsunade's voice.

Deidara kept staring at the speaker while cussing under his breath, Sasori's face pressed into his blonde hair. "Want me to show you the way?"

"No, you moron," Deidara snapped at him. "Now let me go!"

_Oh, and Akasuna, get your ass in here now._

"Come in you two," Tsunade's voice came from the other side of the door, before Deidara got the chance to knock. He pushed the door open and stepped in, Sasori right behind him. Tsunade pointed at the two chairs on the other side of her desk, giving them the permission to sit down.

"I take it that you both know what you're here for."

Deidara gave a low "yes" the exact same time Sasori put on his innocent face and said "no" in a voice that declared he was ready to deny everything. A playful smile spread on his lips, Sasori leaned back in the chair.

"Don't play dumb, Akasuna," Tsunade snapped at him, giving him a stern look. "Or do you think that sneaking into the girls' dormitory with Pein isn't a good enough reason?"

Sasori laughed, throwing his head back. "Oh that. I'd almost forgotten. That was fun," he said while grinning, without any hints of remorse. "By the way, why isn't that fucker being punished then? Why only me?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes, giving Sasori the you-will-never-learn look. "I've already talked to him."

"Now, Deidara," the woman said, much less strictly, turning to look at the blond who'd been quiet this whole time. "I know you had a very good reason for slamming a bowl into that basta-, I mean, Hidan's face, but you do know it's against the school rules and therefore a punishment is required."

Eyes on Tsunade's desk, Deidara nodded, keeping his mouth shut.

"So, as a punishment," Tsunade started, sinking back in her chair, "both of you are going on a cleaning-duty in the cafeteria every evening, except for the weekends, until the end of this month."

"_Both_of us?" Deidara gasped while Sasori yelled "_HELL YEAH!"_making Tsunade roll her eyes before nodding at Deidara.

"From 8.30 pm, until the place is spotless. That will be from _8_pm for _you_, Akasuna," the principal added the last line to stop Sasori's cheering.

"_Damn,"_ the redhead said before shrugging. "Oh well, good enough."

"_But headmaster!"_ Deidara began, slamming his palms against the desk. "You can _see_that this isn't a punishment for him at all! He's actually _enjoying_this. And _I_won't even survive! He'll hang me with his strings or something, _if I'm lucky._Most probably I'll just get raped right there on the spot. I'd much rather clean the whole school every evening and night by myself than spend one evening with him in the-!"

Deidara was cut off by Tsunade raising her hand. "Deidara, you'll be spending all of your evenings and nights with him anyway, since you're roommates. And from what I've been told, you aren't someone who couldn't stand up for himself. As for it not being a real punishment for him, I've given up any hope I might've had for him changing his ways years ago. We're giving him punishments only to limit his spare time while he can do the damage."

"It's really that hopeless?" Deidara whispered to Tsunade, acting as if Sasori wasn't even there. The principal nodded, an overly dramatic expression on her face.

"Now get to class," Tsunade dismissed them, taking out Cosmogirl from her drawer.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	5. Chapter 5

_Okay, let me tell you, editing a chapter is much harder than writing one. I've figured it out. And it's not as good as it would've been when originally written with my current writing-style. But we'll live._

_To make up for the long wait, this chapter is fucking LONG. Like, 6,350 words LONG. That's long, dudes._

_Excuse my blabber, it's almost 2 AM and I totally forgot I was supposed to upload this. Enjoy~~_

* * *

**Chapter 5**

* * *

The most horrible sound that also happened to signal the end of class chimed through the entire schoolhouse. The students got off their seats as quickly as wildebeest escaping from predators, gathering their worn-out books and making their way towards the door before the teacher could finish their sentence. It was a run-along-or-die marathon.

Which included Sasori.

And excluded Deidara.

The blond was currently hiding under his table, pretending to be looking for something, when his teacher's voice made him snap up and hit his head against the desk.

"Mr. Iwaga, I'd like to lock the door, but leaving you trapped in here is against the school policy. Could you, please, make it quick?"

"Oh, yes. Sorry, sir," Deidara apologized, standing up swiftly while rubbing the spot on his head he'd hit against the table. He grabbed his stuff from the desk and hurried past his teacher, still murmuring apologizes until he got to the hallway.

The moment he exited the classroom, he whipped out the latest issue of POPCORN – a German magazine he was still subscribed to even after moving away from the country – and unfolded it, using it to cover his face. Who would've known a magazine could be used for other purposes than reading? Like covering your face when trying to hide yourself from a group of bullies willing to beat the shit out of you.

Deidara's idiot-proof plan was to wait until all the hallways were empty and then rush to class. He'd be a little late, true, but he preferred it over getting his ass kicked.

"You excited about tonight?"

Okay, so it was _almost _idiot-proof. One still got through.

Deidara peered up from behind his cover, giving the redhead leaning casually against the wall next to him a furious glare. "No," he hissed, doing his best to stop himself from literally biting Sasori's head off, "Go away! I don't know you."

Deidara rolled his eyes at the dramatic gasp and shocked expression Sasori put on. Oh how wonderful it would've been if one of them had just died at that moment.

"Why so harsh, Dei? Weren't we friends?" There was a playful tone in Sasori's voice that was like a fly circling around Deidara's head – merely annoying, the most, but also made him want to reach out and squash it.

"_Please. _You and I wouldn't be friends even if hell- HEY!" Deidara reached out for the magazine that had just been snapped away from his hands, but Sasori held it out of his reach and read out the big title on the page Deidara had supposedly been 'reading':

"Selena und Justin – Hat ihre Liebe eine Chance?" (A/N: Translation: Selena and Justin – Does their love have a chance?) Sasori looked down at Deidara, his mocking grin widening at the sight of the blond's scowl. "Oh Dei, I didn't know you were into stuff like this," he teased.

Deidara was about to snap back at him, saying that there was a lot he didn't know about him, but changed his mind right after opening his mouth and what came out in reality was a surprised question: "You speak German?"

Sasori finally handed the magazine back, rolling his eyes when Deidara slipped behind it instantly. "My mother is German," he explained, poking the magazine until a quiet, and harsh "Stop it" from behind the cover made him quit. He sighed, gazing at Deidara dreamingly, as though he wasn't sure what she should've done with him. "I could walk you to your class, if you're too scared to go on your own," he offered, "As an _apology _for acting like a bastard earlier before."

A low growl sounded from behind the magazine and Sasori noticed Deidara's grip tightening around it. "Give me one good reason why I should come _anywhere _with you." He left out "Apology, my ass", because he knew Sasori's dirty mind would interpret it the most wrong way possible.

"Oh, that's easy. If you wait any longer, the hallways will soon be empty and that will just leave you and me here. In an empty hallway. Without a single soul to disturb us."

Deidara could hear the sadistic satisfaction all too clearly in Sasori's voice. He took a moment to think it over, then folded the magazine and started walking away, murmuring: "I'd much rather get my ass kicked than be in an empty hallway alone with you, without any kitchen knives within my reach," with Sasori following him closely behind.

"I feel like you're starting to warm up on me, Dei-baby." Sasori chuckled.

"Do NOT call me that."

"Why? Do you prefer baby Dei?"

"_NO!_" Deidara exclaimed, swinging around. They'd reached his classroom door. "Deidara works just fine, or better yet, don't call me _at all._"

Sasori tilted his head to one side and watched the blond yank the door open and enter the classroom, then following him.

Hearing the redhead coming in as well, Deidara said: "You don't have this class with me, right?"

"How nice of you to remember."

"Then you can go now," Deidara said, smiling victoriously as he turned to face Sasori. There were only two minutes left until class and Sasori would have to leave. Deidara felt his mood rising, but his smile faltered at Sasori's way too content expression.

Deidara started to say something, but couldn't get anything out, because then, in front of the entire class, Sasori's hand swiftly moved to the back of his head and gave his head a push for their lips to meet. When they did, Sasori closed his eyes, unlike Deidara who seemed to be paralyzed. Sasori moved his lips softly, getting no response but not letting it bother him either. He felt warmth radiating from the blond and knew he was going to miss it once he pulled away.

"I'll miss you, Dei-baby," Sasori said loudly enough for the whole class to hear it. He let out a satisfied chuckle and let go of Deidara. "Make sure to not be late for our date tonight."

And he was gone. Sasori had slipped out of the door, before Deidara'd had the chance to collect himself. The blond boy was left staring at the door, with an appalled expression. And the students in the class were left staring at the blond boy.

Sasori smiled when reaching the end of the empty hallway and paused, taking a look back. _3... 2... 1..._

"_SASORI, YOU BASTARD!"_a loud scream filled the corridor, making some students open the classroom doors to peek out.

Sasori threw his head back in laughter after hearing the shout. Some lungs the blond had.

Sasori was still laughing when opening the door to his classroom and sashayed to his seat, ignoring the fact that he was more than five minutes late.

The teacher didn't get angry. Without glancing up from his book, he said: "Detention, Akasuna."

Sasori, looking more amused than anything, replied: "Not today, Hatake. Not today. I have plans for tonight."

-x-

Deidara just kept staring at the closed door, not remembering how to move his body anymore. _What had just happened? YOUR WHOLE REPUTATION HAS JUST BEEN RUINED BY THAT PLAYBOY! Yeah, I already figured that out. But how? ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO REMEMBER? On second thought, no._

He felt his face growing hot when thinking about the growing list of -he-never-ever-wanted-to-happen-but-still-did. The latest addition – the whole school soon thinking he was dating Sasori. It made Deidara want to paint the letters FML onto every wall in this damn school. How could've he ruined his life here so quickly and completely?

Then he remembered who was really to blame for all this. And suddenly, he just wasn't able to keep everything in himself much longer – it was suffocating him! -, so he took a deep breath and yelled "_SASORI, YOU BASTARD!"_ as loud as he could, confirming everyone's opinion on him needing a therapy.

-x-

"Deidara!" Deidara heard someone whisper to him and he began to shake. "Deidara, wake up!"

_Don't... don't worry. It's a girl's voice,_the blond thought and gingerly looked up. Sakura's hand was on his back, shaking him slightly, while Ino was standing behind her with a worried expression.

"Dei, are you OK?" Ino asked, moving closer and propping herself on her hands on the desk, eyeing him with concern in her eyes. "Do you want us to escort you to the nurse? Do you have a headache?"

"I'm fine, totes fine," Deidara replied, waving her off, and leaned against the backrest of the chair, shielding his eyes. He did have a headache, though. "Why?"

He noticed the unease radiating off his friends and uncovered his eyes, taking a look at them. They were exchanging uncertain looks, which irked Deidara, since he was unaware of the reasons for them. Finally, Sakura turned to her and, as though honoring some silent agreement she'd made with the other girl mentally, asked: "Would you want to go to the school buffet with us?"

Deidara gave a curt nod and stood up. He gathered his scattered stuff from the desk and followed the girls out the classroom.

The school had a lofty buffet on the basement floor, although the 'buffet' part was arguable. It was more of an entertainment room.

It sold various soft-drinks and juices (although no energy drinks) and the food ranged from fruit and salads to chips and chocolate to soup and pizza. About fifteen tables stood scattered around the buffet booth.

Sofas and beanbags lined the walls and at a decent distance from the buffet and tables, there were TVs with PS3 and xBox 360 (but a poor variety of games, unfortunately. Many students had taken their personal games with them.), karaoke machines (karaoke parties were held once a month), poker tables, air hockey tables and a huge twister mat. Many students were known to skip classes just to spend time there.

This particular "buffet" covered one whole basement floor.

Ino, Sakura and Deidara sat down behind a corner table, after Deidara had ordered pizza and apple juice for himself – after all, he had missed lunch.

"Boy, Dei, when was the last time you ate?" Sakura asked, watching the blond gobble down food as though it were his last meal.

"Um..." Deidara looked up and swallowed. "Yesterday, dinner," he confirmed.

Ino wasn't paying attention, her eyes were locked with another girl's sitting at a neighbor table. It looked like they were conversing without words. Whether it was friendly or not, Deidara couldn't figure out.

Sakura's focus was still on him, though, and her eyebrows shot up. "Didn't you have any breakfast?"

Deidara paused mid-gulp. "They serve breakfast around here?"

Ino had turned back to them in the nick of time to hear the last bit. She had a considering look, as though she couldn't make up her mind on whether to laugh or roll her eyes. Sakura was glaring at him though, as if she was taking personal offence to the fact that the boy cared so little about his own diet. "7.30 am, Dei," Sakura snapped.

"Oh." Deidara let out a short laugh, his expression clear as if that had cleared everything. "I was still sleeping then. And of course that bastard didn't mention it either," he added the last sentence half-muttering, glancing around with a frown, as though he was waiting for said bastard to appear any moment.

"Deidara," Ino finally said, her voice having a note of determination to it, "you seriously need to read the school rules, period."

"Yeah, yeah. I know," the boy waved the comment aside absent-mindedly, taking another bite from his pizza. Food had never been his first priority. He didn't get the deal of everybody going on about 'healthy diet' and 'regularity'. He ate when he was hungry and whatever made his mouth water at that moment.

"Speaking of your roommate..." Sakura started, trying to make it seem casual, but Deidara could sense that it had been on her mind for quite some time. "What's going on?"

Deidara swallowed another mouthful and took a sip of his juice, before asking: "What do you mean?" his voice coming out sharper than he'd intended. But he didn't blame himself; that bastard wasn't exactly his favorite topic currently - or ever - but especially with the recent events.

"Well..." Ino drawled, giving him the you-know-that-we-know look, "the _whole school_already knows about the kiss in front of the classroom and there are rumors are spreading like wildfire. Some claim it was something about a date, others insist that he'd praised you for last night-" Ino cut herself off, realizing what she'd been saying. She gave Deidara a look that expressed both an apology for having to say those rumors out loud and expectance for an explanation.

Deidara rolled his eyes indifferently and drank the juice up, seeming uninterested in the topic, as though it was old news to him. Truth be told, it was. This was what he'd been expecting after all, there was no way students would keep quiet about stuff like that. And he wasn't sure whether he cared anymore or not.

"Well...?" Ino pried, seeing as Deidara gave no reply. "You can_not_expect us to believe the crap people are saying. We want hear the truth from you."

Sakura nodded enthusiastically. "We _demand."_

Deidara gave them a slight smile, happy to hear that he had friends as faithful as them. Straightening up, he put the fork and knife down on the table and opened his mouth to answer, but halted; nothing came out. Sudden wave of realization told him that the truth was very simple, and would sound very unbelievable.

"Nothing's going on," he answered truthfully, losing the tense sitting position he'd been in and resting his cheek on his palm. "_Ze-ro_," he drawled.

"Deidara..." Ino started with a determined expression, ready to give a brief, to the point lecture on how Deidara could trust them with anything, but the blond didn't feel like hearing it.

"I _said_ - nothing_,"_Deidara snapped impatiently. He regretted his sharp tone immediately, seeing the hurt look on the only two people who would've believed in this school. He sighed and amended the tone weakly: "I mean it, it's the truth. _Nothing's _going on with _me._ Can't be said for that bastard, but he's not my concern." Deidara shrugged.

"He just keeps calling me _Dei-baby,_sticking to me like glue and annoying me to death. As far as I am concerned, the only reason he kissed me was to spread rumors and destroy my reputation. I guess he's succeeded," he added, feeling more depressed because of it than he'd been a few minutes ago. Sakura and Ino were nodding, agreeing to what he'd just said, their expressions compassionate.

"And the date he was talking about in front of the whole class – well, _that's_something _romantic._We're both on a cleaning-duty in the cafeteria in the evenings as a punishment." It was official. Deidara felt depressed now. Oh, how he wished he didn't have to think about it all. Truth be told, what he was hungry for at that moment was a good work-out. It would've taken his mind off of things.

Neither Sakura nor Ino commented on the news they'd just heard, which was weird, in Deidara's opinion; he would've expected them to have at least _something _to say. He started back at them in silence, his last slice of pizza laying on the plate in front of him all but forgotten. Deidara didn't feel hungry anymore.

Finally, when he felt fed up with the awkward silence and meaningful looks the girls exchanged, and said: "Come _on,-" _his tone was pleading, as though he was begging them to think rationally "-a playboy like Sasori-" he grimaced at his name "-flirting with me can't be that big of miracle." He paused. "Now that I think about it, your stunned faces are a little offending." It was like they were implying that he wasn't worthy of being flirted with by a playboy who flirted with everyone.

The girls shook their heads together and smiled apologetically, snapping out of the trance in unison. "No, Dei, that's far from it," Sakura said, her tone mocking the blond for even taking it that way, "You don't know Akatsuki like we, and the whole city for that matter, does. If you did, you'd be surprised as well."

"Well, could you, I don't know, _explain_ then? Please?" Deidara snapped, impatience making his tone harsh again. "Or are you waiting for me to get on my knees? – 'Cause I can _guarantee _you that, that's not gonna happen. I'd rather go torture some random stranger on the street to get the truth out of them."

Deidara received two sets of _what-world-do-YOU-come-from? _Looks, but his the strict look in his narrowed eyes didn't let the silence last. Sakura looked troubled, not knowing where to start, but Ino was quicker to get her thoughts straight and helped out.

"Dei, in order to understand, you have to hear the _whole_story," she said, her words creating an inevitable aura of mystery.

Deidara rolled his eyes. "Well, bring it on. I'm not getting any blonder here."

Ino grinned at him. Sakura cleared her throat theatrically – another silent agreement had been made that she would be the one to start-, fooling around a little before starting with the story. "Once upon a time... the devil got married to a slut and that's how the Akatsuki were born- OUCH!" Sakura yelped when Ino punched her into the ribs. Rubbing the hurt spot, she cast the other female an angry glare, before turning back to Deidara, her face completely serious now.

"Ok, ok. I'm serious now. Since you have already seen all the members it will be a little easier to explain." She let out a short sigh, as though in an attempt to prepare herself.

"There are Tobi, the one with the orange mask, and Zetsu, the weird guy with the plant-aura. Rumor has it that they're together. They go to Kirigakure High School, even though they hang out here quite often. Although they've never been caught by the police, many people say they're behind many illegal vehicle and motorcycle races that take place during the nights on the streets. No one's been arrested yet for them, and I don't think anyone ever will. The police in this town wouldn't know exhibit if it danced on their morning donuts." She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Then there are Kisame and Itachi, who are said to be dating as well. Kisame is the tall one with the shark-like smile and Itachi is Sasuke's older brother; they look quite alike. Both of them go to this school. Nothing remarkable you should know about them, I guess. They just hang out with the group. Itachi is always sullen and quiet, Kisame seems more easy-going. I've seen them both beat up guys older than them, though. _Very _good fighters.

Moving on. You've _obviously_ met Hidan and Kakuzu, "she gave Deidara a knowing look and saw the blond roll his eyes. "They've been associated with several thefts, breaking into places, even making a building or two collapse – they all were old, but still - and so on. As usual, nothing's been proven yet." Sakura gave a sigh and Deidara could see that she blamed it all on the lousy work of the local police.

"And then, finally, there are Pein and Sasori, the youngest members of the Akatsuki, Sasori being _the_youngest. Both of them are 17, while the other members are 18. Pein is an infamous playboy, known for making girls fall in love with him by just the sight of him. He usually deceives them into thinking they have a chance or that there really is something going on between them, and then he just crushes them. Almost literally. Most of the girls have left the school after that; it's pretty bad." Sakura and Ino both grimaced. Then Saukura's expression turned merciless. "They never learn, though, and there is always someone new who thinks she is somewhat better than the previous ones. More special. Unforgettable, you know? But the ending is always the same.

And then there's Sas-" Sakura fell silent sharply, her eyes going wide, and she winced, looking like she had been hit by a rock. Both Deidara and Ino stared at her wordlessly, not understanding why she'd stopped.

Then they heard a voice that made all of their blood run cold. "I missed yoooouuu," a saccharine voice chimed and Deidara froze at the feeling of someone pressing their lips against his neck. Mechanically, Deidara turned around, catching a glimpse of Pein standing behind Sasori, before he was caught him in a deep, passionate kiss.

Deidara clenched his hand into a fist and got ready to throw a good punch, but Sasori seemed to sense the threat and retreated wisely, gazing at him with a smile of content.

Deidara wiped his mouth angrily, glaring daggers at him. "Want me to slap you, so we could publicly announce our break-up?" he hissed enraged, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Want me to get down on my knee, so we could publicly announce our engagement?" Sasori joked back, although the cockiness that radiated off him didn't make him look like he was capable of humbleness that great.

"Um, Dei? We were getting ready to leave anyway, so..." Ino started to get up, smiling nervously, Sakura mirroring her like a shadow.

Sasori stopped them with a wave of the hand. "No, girls, you can sit down," he said, smiling politely like a gentleman. "We only came here to pick up Deidara."

Deidara grimaced at the redhead. The last thing he wanted to do was to follow those two, but he realized if he didn't, he'd be late to PE. Sighing, he got up from the bench obediently, secretly praying the coach would be in the mood for dodge ball.

"Bye girls," he mumbled and, while making sure he stayed at least three meters behind them, gingerly followed Sasori and Pein.

As there were no school uniforms in the school, there was no dress code in PE either. Deidara had bought a pair of loose Capri pants and a black T-shirt for the gym classes, preferring comfort over looks, although those clothes didn't look bad on him either. Quite the opposite, Sasori's eyes on him made Deidara wish he had bought something far more unattractive. Something with holes and a smell of garbage. H

"Students," their PE teacher, Might Guy, yelled, clamping his hands together. He looked eccentrically pleased, although that might've as well been the way he always looked, as far as Deidara was concerned. "We all know the rules of dodge ball. Akasuna is one of the captains. Who wants to be the second one?"

An awkward silence fell, without a single hand rising. Obviously, nobody wanted to go against the redhead. Or cared enough to react. Deidara wondered whether his roommate was good at sports as well, or was it only the scary aura that kept the hands down.

"Since no one's brave enough to volunteer," Guy started, a tiny amount of disappointment sounding in his voice, "why don't you, Akasuna, pick your opponent team's captain instead?"

Deidara sighed. Somehow, he'd already known things would turn out in such a way. Some things were just bound to happen.

"Deidara," was Sasori's instant answer.

The blond let out a sigh of relief at hearing his real name, instead of the moronic nickname. At least there was enough decency left in that bastard to not call him _Dei-baby _in a situation like this.

"Iwaga, you can go first," Guy said.

Deidara'd had this one idea driving him crazy ever since they had lined up and been told they'd be playing dodge ball. His imagination had promptly brought up an image of him being the captain of the opposite team, competing against Sasori.

And that's where the "what if" idea had come from.

He had no idea if there'd be any point in it, no idea what the consequences might be, no idea whether it even was a big deal at all, but he decided to try it out. Besides, he was already rumored to be Sasori's boyfriend; couldn't get worse than that, now could it?

"I pick Pein," declared Deidara, chancing a peek at Sasori's face right after that. That one flash of expression of the redhead made it all worth it, he decided contently, holding back a laugh. The redhead stared at him stunned, and, for once, there was no hint of perverted thoughts showing on his face.

Pein merely quirked an eyebrow. Deidara didn't care; he hadn't held any interested in surprising him anyway.

"I pick Tayuya," said Sasori after collecting himself. He looked a lot less enthusiastic; and Deidara couldn't stop smiling at the growing warmth of happiness spreading throughout his body. Oh, sweet, _sweet _revenge. The sweetest thing since bombs.

The teams were formed quickly.

At Guy's whistle, the students dashed towards the balls, Deidara being one of the first to grab one. He sent it flying towards Sai, who failed to catch it and went out. Deidara knew he could trust his reflexes, since they'd never let him down before. He kept catching and shooting, aiming at anyone but Sasori. As if the redhead had been reading his mind, no balls were sent flying towards him from that direction either.

The number of students on the field was decreasing rapidly. Sooner than Deidara could've imagined, it was him and Pein against Sasori and Sasuke. Just after Sasuke had been hit in the knee by Pein's ball, Deidara glanced at the redhead on his side, not able to hide the joy on his face.

He smiled broadly and was about to say something along the lines of 'nice going', when Pein raised his hands and, to the blond's great appall, walked out of the boarders of the field, announcing: "I'm done."

Deidara was appalled and gritted his teeth, looking after the redhead and cursing him in as many languages as he knew. _Just when you started to think they could be of some use._

He turned to face Sasori, then, recognizing the familiar smirk on his face. One-on-one it was then. Deidara blew out a breath to brace himself. _I can do it, _he thought to himself and squared his shoulders.

He took a step back, fixing his hand, and was about to throw the ball, when he heard the coach bellow: "It's a tie. You're all dismissed."

Deidara walked through the empty hallways to the cafeteria, hands in pockets. He hated the thought of what he was about to do, but knew it to be unavoidable if he was planning on staying in the school. He came to a stop before the big double-leaved door, knocking from force of habit and feeling stupid afterwards. He pushed the doors open and stepped inside, finding Sasori lying on one of the tables.

Deidara grimaced and realized in a flash that the redhead hadn't cleaned at all during the half an hour he'd been there. The blond felt stupid for even considering the possibility. Of _course _he hadn't. He was Sasori. He was a bastard. Deidara sighed and walked to the table the redhead was lying on.

"Get up, you lazy piece of shit," he said, shaking him a little. "I was planning on getting some sleep tonight, so we'd better be done before dawn."

Sasori opened his left eye, looking at the blond disapprovingly. "What? No huggies on the first date?"

Deidara didn't bother replying. One look at him told him that he wouldn't be of use. He turned around, muttering something along the lines of: "Who needs trash like you," as he walked to the broom closet to fetch a mop.

He'd decided to start with the floors, since the biggest mess was on them. The tables looked almost OK, apart from that pig with a red wig lying on one. He was going to have to clean that one twice.

With no further stalling, Deidara got to work.

He had absolutely no idea how long it took him (good thing he was fit, or else he would've been worn out in half an hour), but when he was finally finished with the floor, it was already completely dark outside. Ignoring the sourness in his arms, he washed the mop and put it away in the closet.

The little room was about 2 meters wide, with shelves, containing everything from brushes to cleaning chemicals, covering the walls. Deidara stood on his toes, trying to see if there was something to clean the tables with on the higher shelves. Nothing of use caught his eye, though. What a letdown. After five minutes of rummaging, Deidara gave up and shouted.

"SASORI! COME HERE FOR A SEC!"

_He'd better come,_he thought to himself bitterly while waiting, hands crossed, tapping his foot impatiently. He heard footsteps approach and Sasori opened the door, peeking in. "What do you need?" he asked, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.

"A cloth to clean the tables," Deidara answered sullenly, unhappy about the fact that he needed the redhead's help after all.

Sasori went straight to the shelf on the left wall and found one, handing it to Deidara.

_This probably wasn't his first time here, _Deidara caught himself thinking; he gave a low thanks and tried the knob to open the door, only to find it closed. He frowned. _What the..? _He tried it once, twice, and again, but the door didn't open. It didn't take long for him to let anger take over and he was rapping against the door aggressively.

Seeing as it didn't work, Deidara swung around in a swift movement, pointing a finger at the redhead threateningly. "You!" he hissed. "You broke the damn door, you dumbass!" His heartbeat was racing and breathing uneven.

The redhead pushed him aside, tried the knob as well and then chuckled. "Must be 11 already," he mused.

Deidara stared at him in complete oblivion. "Come again?"

Sasori smiled at him. "Dei-baby, you really need to read the school rules."

"Yeah, I'm getting that," he snapped at him, clearly not liking the idea of the two of them being trapped in a small room. "Could you tell me what I'm clueless about again?"

"At 11 pm, all doors leading out of the dormitories as well as the other doors outside the dormitories are automatically locked," Sasori said, monitoring his nails casually. He added with a sly smirk: "_Everybody _knows that."

"I can't believe it!" Deidara exclaimed and glared at Sasori. The latter nodded indifferently and slid down the door onto the floor. He looked perfectly content with the current situation. Too content. The smirk gave him away.

But Deidara didn't pay attention to his expressions at that moment. "DO THEY REALLY EXPECT ME TO SCAN THROUGH THE PAPERS THEY GAVE ME, ONLY TO FIND LIFE-THREATENING RULES LIKE THIS?" he yelled at no one particular while Sasori watched him in amusement. "THEY SHOULD MAKE POSTERS OF THIS RULE AND PUT THEM UP ON THE DORM WALLS! THEY SHOULD ANNOUNCE IT AT LEAST 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE LOCK-DOWN! THEY SHOULD ADD THIS RULE TO THE SCHOOL NAME, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD-," he stopped suddenly, looking at the redhead. Something had hit him.

"You…" he whispered, Sasori raising his eyebrows."You. You!" Deidara exclaimed, falling on his knees and grabbing his roommate by his collar. "You break the rules all the time, surely you know how to get out of a situation like this."

Sasori shook his head, still smiling. "Sorry, Dei. The rooms I've broken out from have all had windows."

"Can't you call some-?" Deidara didn't even finish his question, for his roommate just kept shaking his head.

Deidara started to back down a little, letting go of Sasori's collar. The truth must've finally sunk into him. He was going to have to spend the night in the broom closet with Sasori. He looked beaten.

A change of heart. It was as quick as a flash of camera and then, before Sasori could grab a hold onto what was happening, Deidara had started punching his shoulder, beating him repeatedly while spitting one word at each hit: "This. Is. All. Your. Damn. FAULT! You. BASTARD. I WILL NOT FORGIVE YOU."

Sasori rolled his eyes. With ease, he caught the blond's fists in his hands, ending the punching, and pressed his lips against the other's, holding them together for a wonderful moment, before pulling away. His smile was sweet when he looked at the blond after that, but he couldn't suppress the laugh that threatened to suffocate him when he saw Deidara's sulking expression.

"You really need to stop doing that," Deidara said, pushing himself away from the redhead and settling down in the farthest corner possible from the redhead.

"I haven't heard you complain, yet," Sasori pointed out.

Deidara turned his head away, a look of disgust covering his face. "You're obnoxious. If you continue acting like this, even my friends won't believe that we're not dating."

"Now what's wrong with that?" Sasori quipped, smiling broadly.

Deidara's eyes narrowed, when looking at the redhead. "Nothing, except that it's totally _impossible._"

"You wound me, Dei-baby. What makes it impossible?"

Deidara rolled his eyes. "You're just _not my type._"

Sasori snorted, his expression turning very amused. "I've heard that line before."

"Yeah, I bet you hear it every day, playboy," Deidara quipped sarcastically. "_Sorry, but I'm not into jerks and assholes. _You don't even know how to be gentle or to ask someone out without making them uncomfortable! You're a jerk! How on Earth could you think I'd fall for that?! I don't know who stirred up that self-esteem of yours, but believe me when I say that they were lying! You have no idea how to behave or be nice! You're so full of yourself, I'm surprised you haven't burst like a balloon yet!_"_

Sasori stayed quiet for a moment, all humor from his face gone. It looked like he was seriously considering those words. He almost looked hurt, but Deidara was too angry with him to care.

After a few minutes of silence, Sasori asked quietly: "What is your type then?"

"I don't feel the need to answer," Deidara snapped, turning his head away.

A silence fell again.

Deidara threw his head back, unsuccessfully trying to close his eyes and make them stay that way. He heard Sasori muttering something, but didn't pay too much attention to it. He tried to force his breathing to normal, to relax, and to fall asleep.

After a few minutes, the humming coming from Sasori became annoying. Deidara opened his eyes and sent him a sharp look, before listening more carefully. Sasori smiled, when he saw recognition settle on the blond's face.

"_...and you're too drunk to hear a word I say - Start the car and take me home - But just tonight - I will stay - and we'll throw it all away. When the light - hits your eyes - it's telling me I'm right and if I - I am through - and it's all because of you... just tonight..."_

Deidara couldn't help, but listen until the very end of the chorus before saying something. "You're a pathological flirt and stalker. What did you do, learn all the most played songs in my mp3-player by heart?"

Sasori chuckled and stopped singing. "It's true that I flipped through your playlist, but I wouldn't go through all the trouble to learn all the songs by heart. It's not my fault you listen to the same songs I do."

Deidara turned away, sulking. "You know what? I don't think I like that group so much anymore."

Sasori chuckled and continued with his singing. "_But here I am, and I can't seem to see straight - but I'm too numb to feel right now. Here I am - watching the clock that's ticking away my time - I'm too numb to feel right now..."_

Deidara couldn't help, but turn his head in the redhead's direction, charmed by his singing. Feeling utterly helpless, he joined in. "_But just tonight - I will stay - and we'll throw it all away. When the light - hits your eyes - it's telling me I'm right and if I - I am through - and it's all because of you - just tonight..."_

Deidara reached out to cover Sasori's mouth, shutting him up. He could feel how the open mouth turned into a smirk under his palm. Feeling confident he would stay quiet now, Deidara removed his hand.

"Afraid you might fall for my singing?" Sasori teased.

For a second, Deidara completely lost himself, not able to control his expression. The redhead had nailed it. Quickly going back to his usual quipping self, he snapped. "Your self-esteem is dangerously high, it might even be affecting your brain by now."

"As long as I can keep you by my side, my brain is the least of my problems."

"Can you be serious even for once?"

Sasori smiled, caressing the blond's hair. "I am serious."

"I'll take that as a no."

Silence settled between them, leaving Sasori playing with Deidara's hair. The blond knew the smartest thing to do would've been to pull away, but for some reason he stayed where he was. Forcing himself to not think about that reason, he felt his eyelids slowly getting heavy.

"Dei-baby?"

"Hm?" the blond mumbled; his eyes closed already, not bothering to complain about the nickname.

"Why did you pick Pein in the gym?"

"I just wanted to see your reaction," Deidara muttered truthfully, too tired to make up a lie.

Sasori nodded, although the blond couldn't see it. Neither of them said another word that night, Sasori just kept quietly humming "Just tonight".

Deidara fell asleep in less than a minute.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	6. Chapter 6

_I FRIGGING LOVE THIS STORY XD Totally random, but Sassy and Dei are just so... HNNGH~~ So what else is new? xD_

_Thank you everyone for reading (especially those who're re-reading this) and, of course, for reviewing~~ Love you all ¦3_

* * *

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Deidara heard muffled voices talking, seeming so far away. He knew he was about to wake up, but, willing to put it off as long as possible, he snuggled in the warm cloth beneath his face, stubbornly not letting his eyes open. He felt something warm, assumingly the blanket, press against his back. Deidara moved his head to adjust the cloth beneath more to his liking.

Suddenly, something shook him for a second, like an earthquake, and his eyes flew open immediately. It was that moment that he realized things weren't exactly how he'd expected them to be. Just as the last night came rushing back to him, Deidara felt another shake and fell forwards. Something was pushing against his back as he landed on something much softer than the floor he'd expected to land on.

The bright light hurt his eyes as he looked around with squint eyes. Deidara stiffened when he understood what was going on.

He let his eyes run over all the students standing in the queue, waiting for breakfast, and felt dozens and dozens of eye pairs drilling into him. He saw one girl drop her spoon. Deidara glanced down beneath himself and saw the smirking face of Sasori looking back at him.

That was when the blond finally realized he'd fallen asleep in the redhead's lap, who had been leaning against the door, making them both fall when the door was opened, and his face flushed in a nanosecond as red as a tomato.

Moving swiftly, Deidara put his hands on either sides of Sasori to push himself off, when a weird-looking, dark-headed boy stepped out of the queue. Deidara noticed him holding a camera. His name tag read Rock Lee.

Before Deidara got the chance to peel himself off the redhead completely, the weird boy flashed him a smile, saying: "Excuse me. School press. Say cheese!" The flash of bright light made Deidara blink. Rock Lee thanked him and turned around, regarding his device to inspect the photo he'd taken.

That was when he sensed danger and glanced back cowardly, before breaking into a full-speed run. The murderous expression on the Deidara's face would've made anyone pray.

"_GIVE ME THAT DAMN CAMERA! GIVE ME THAT THING!" _he shouted at the top of his lungs when chasing after the boy.

-x-

"Iwaga," Tsunade said with a calm voice, which belied the irritated expression on her face, glaring at the boy sitting across the desk from her, "You ought to read the school rules."

Deidara and Sasori were, once again, sitting in the headmaster Tsunade's office. The redhead looked relaxed in his chair, living up to the saying 'make yourself at home', while the fuming blond next to him spread an aura that could've killed an antelope.

"I know," Deidara answered, hissing the words through his teeth. "I will. Can we go now?" he asked impatiently.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair and placed her fingertips together in front of her. "Just so you know - any pictures the newspaper photographers take outside the dormitories and bathrooms for the school paper are allowed to be published. Your complaints won't help."

Deidara didn't react to the news. He had assumed as much.

"And for not completing your assignment yesterday," Tsunade continued, "which was to clean the _whole_ cafeteria, not just the floor, you shall spend one extra week on the duty. Both of you, of course."

"BUT HEADMASTER!" Deidara started, looking into Tsunade's cold eyes above which eyebrows had arched, and set his hands down flat on the desk, "Sasori _isn't_cleaning! He was lying on a table when I arrived. At least give _him_another assignment. He'd do a good job as a sandbag - he's got the appropriate looks and the weight."

"No, Deidara," Tsunade said, her face dead serious, then, seeing as Deidara was ready to argue further, added: "And this conversation ends _here. _No buts."

She watched Deidara cross his arms and turn away(Sasori gave him a sideways look of content), before saying: "That wasn't the only reason I summoned you." Slowly, Deidara turned to face her again. "The following will be a warning to you, Iwaga. Know that I'm watching."

From the corner of her eye, Tsunade saw Sasori raise his eyebrows and look questioningly back and forth between them. She ignored him, talking solely to the blond. "I know you put your past behind, but unfortunately that doesn't make it nonexistent. I know all about Germany, America and Russia. In Germany, you actually did me a little favour, which was the main reason I let you enter this school, but regardless I don't want the incident repeating itself in this country. Remember, you are under my watch."

Anyone could've recognized the threat in Tsunade's voice. By the time she said the last sentence, Deidara's face had been cleared of all expression. He looked stoic. It was the same state he would always be in when someone mentioned his past. The same state he had been in, in his past. An expressionless face that never gave away his intentions and cold eyes that threatened anyone daring to look into them. There had been only one person bold enough to stay by his side, and she had had the same eyes as him.

Sasori, on the other hand, had grown fairly interested in the whole situation. He'd leaned forward in his chair and smiled wryly, examining the faces of both the woman and the boy, as though in hope they might give something away.

Tsunade dismissed them; and both boys headed for their dorm room. As they were walking, Deidara still wore his mask-like expression, his eyes on the floor. Memories flooded his mind, he looked thoughtful. A pair of firm hands wrapped around his waist from behind. Deidara was startled; he glanced up and looked at the redhead, who had rested his chin on his shoulder.

"What was Tsunade talking about?" Sasori asked, his tone dreamy. "Something about a favour and history repeating itself..."

Deidara chuckled, a mischievous glint dancing in his eyes. Wouldn't it have been fun to scare the other a little? "Let's just say, compared to me, you're a saint, Sasori."

Deidara wasn't sure whether it surprised him or not, but Sasori's reaction was anything but scared. "Now I'm definitely interested," the redhead chuckled as well. "The dark side of you... Dark Dei... Talk to me..."

Deidara rolled his eyes and gave an impatient sigh. "Not now and not here. We're going to be late and I still need to change."

Sasori pecked him on his neck and let go. They went to their room and Deidara bolted towards his bag. He took a piece of gum to make up for not brushing his teeth this morning. He found a pair of black jeans with knee holes from his drawer and put them on with a spiked belt. He slipped into a black T-shirt with a skull holding a rose in its mouth on it. He put on fishnet gloves that only covered his palms and picked a couple of silver rings along with a silver cross necklace to wear. Deidara's nails were already black from before.

When he was done, Sasori couldn't help but stare. He had never seen Deidara wear anything even close to gothic. Who would've guessed he'd had all that stuff in his drawer all this time?

"People are going to faint," he mumbled as he followed the blond to their first class. "And then they'll gossip."

Deidara smiled. "I'm so ready."

-x-

"Now, Dei," Sakura started, sitting down next to Deidara who had leaned back in his chair, purposefully keeping his eyes on the desk to avoid all those staring at him. "I can understand the forced kiss, the so-called date, even the clothes. But would you mind telling me what the _hell_you were doing in the mop closet with him?! Because that's just – even I couldn't – I mean-"

"It was an accident," Deidara said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "How in the bloody hell was I supposed to know all the doors close at 11 pm sharp? Even Tsunade didn't bother telling me about it!"

Sakura gave a sigh. Deidara knew she was forcing herself not to remind him the necessity of reading the school rules and that the incident was basically his own fault. Deidara was grateful for that; he didn't need to be told that to know.

"Accident or not, you've got the whole school thinking you and Sasori are dating," Sakura finally said.

Deidara's eyes were on the desk again and he was drawing patterns on it with his finger to distract himself. Suppressed anger sounded in his voice when he hissed: "I'll beat the shit out of anyone who says that."

Sakura gave him a look of deprecatory. "Deidara, I know how you feel, but they _do_have their reasons. Have you seen the school paper yet?" she asked, taking out a roll of black paper.

"What the fuck is this?" Deidara muttered, taking the roll from the girl. It had only been two hours since their picture had been taken, and it had already made the front page? Deidara unfolded the newspaper.

The background of the paper was black, the text was red and on the cover read the name HHS NEWS in bold. The design looked great, Deidara would give them that. But that was not all there was on the cover. There was also a huge picture of him lying on Sasori while he'd been looking at his face, giving the sick impression of them starting to kiss. The headline was lovely, of course - "OUT OF THE CLOSET – LITERALLY AD FIGURATEVLY".

Deidara took a peek inside, only to find the same photo zoomed in, with columns of texts on both sides of it. Not even wanting to read what was written there, Deidara folded the paper back together again and shoved it back to Sakura.

"Lovely."

"I'm sorry, Dei," Sakura muttered awkwardly.

"No, it's okay." Deidara smiled at her. He didn't want his friend to feel bad about it, when he himself was well on his way to getting over it. "Who cares what they say. It's my life."

Sakura returned the smile and opened his mouth, ready to say something, when an annoying-sounding high-pitched voice sounding from behind her made the words die on the tip of her tongue.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the rebellious beauty Deidara."

Arching an eyebrow, Deidara glanced up and looked at malicious smile that bared the white teeth of a black-haired girl. She was standing with her arms crossed over her chest and chin raised high, looking like out of a ridiculous girl bullies' movie. Her name was Tenten.

Deidara was slightly confused. He'd talked to the girl a few times before, but had never sensed any vibes of dislike off of her. Far from that; she'd been really friendly and nice since his first day there. What had changed?

Well, whatever it might've been, there was nothing friendly about her anymore, Deidara thought bitterly and wondered whether he had another thing to blame Sasori for.

"What are you talking about, Ten?" Sakura asked with an oblivious look. It was obvious that she was surprised by this; just like Deidara, neither had she expected the girl to turn on the blond so easily.

"You know very well what I'm talking about, Sakura," Tenten snapped and her smile died. "Don't play dumb. Or are you still going to pretend like you don't know what's going on? Why are you still acting all friendly with this hypocrite?"

A look of anger flashed across Sakura's face. "Hold on! You have no right to call him a-"

"He's all about the show!" Tenten practically shouted. "He couldn't even admit that he liked Sasori before he was already sucking faces with him!"

Suddenly it all made sense in Deidara's head and he realized that there was no point in arguing with Tenten now. They'd never be able to convince her that it was all a total lie; not with all the rumours and 'proof' around.

"Now wait-!" Sakura started, but Deidara, standing up, clamped a hand down her shoulder, making her stop.

"Don't bother," Deidara said, looking solely at her and ignoring everyone else. "It won't do any good. Let's just get out of here."

Sakura looked into his eyes and nodded, getting up as well. They headed for the door.

"Oh and DeiDei, don't forget to invite me to your wedding as well!" Tenten bitched after them. Deidara rolled his eyes. Was that the best she could do? How lame. "And Sakura, do you really have nothing better to do than to suck up to that slutty transvestite? Don't you have a life?"

Deidara halted mid-step on the doorway, one foot still in the air. Momentarily he squeezed Sakura's hand tighter, as if to make sure she didn't do anything rash, before letting go and turning on his heel.

"You want to talk about life, Tenten?" Deidara asked, sitting on the nearby desk and crossing his legs. "Okay, let's talk. A life starts when a person is born and ends when the person _is killed_" - he put extra stress on the two words, giving the hint of a threat - "or dies for another possible reason. Everything between those two points is called _time._

Now, let's talk about time. Time is precious. Time is money; and you're wasting yours. Which would be absolutely _fine _with me; I mean – I don't give a flying fuck about your time – but it also happens to be so that you're interfering with other lives and wasting _others' _time.

Now _that _may become dangerous, for not everyone treats their time like yesterday's newspaper. Maybe you haven't been introduced to the harsh world we live in yet, but I'll give you my predictions - if you don't shut up soon enough, someonewill be faster and makeyou shut up, so you wouldn't waste their time. That, of course, will put an absolute end to your time."

Deidara's eyes had grown as cold as ice cubes, sending shivers down Tenten's spine. The whole class was listening and Deidara suddenly raising his voice made them all jump.

"That goes for _all_of you," he snapped, standing up. "I don't care if I'm dating Akasuna in your dirty imaginations or not, but should _any_you give me _any_trouble concerning that matter, you'd better be as good of a fighter as any member of the Akatsuki is."

Deidara stood there for a moment, letting his eyes run over the student body and admiring his work in his scared to death classmates, when Tsunade's voice sounded from the speakers.

"One more week, Akasuna and Iwaga."

The blond cussed under his breath and went out of the classroom, passing Sakura without looking at her.

He marched straight to his dorm room, only to find a pile of papers waiting for him in front of the door. Paying them no mind, he pushed them aside to open the door and stepped inside.

"I knew you enjoyed spending your evenings with me, Dei-baby," Sasori said, giving him a wicked smile.

"What are you talking about, playboy?" Deidara asked in an irritated voice, climbing up to his bed and plopping down on the sheets. He was so sick of being in this place, he wanted to get out. He was sick of the retarded students, the demoness that was Tsunade _and _having Sasori around him wherever he went.

"You earned us another additional week together in the cafeteria."

Deidara gritted his teeth. "I was _just_having a casual chat with my classmates."

Sasori barked a laugh. "You threatened to kill them all if they dared to annoy you, didn't you?"

Deidara sat up, looking at Sasori with a surprised look. "You heard it?"

Sasori shook his head. "No. Just a guess."

Deidara frowned and lay back again. It was really weird, and he'd probably never admit it, but it felt like Sasori actually knew who he really was - even though they'd known each other for less than a month - _and _was willing to accept it. It was so strange and seemed so foolish, but it brought a smile onto Deidara's face.

He could literally _feel _something squeezing his heart in a sickening way when he realized that he shouldn't have had thoughts like that. Dreaming may have been sweet, but the sweeter it was, the harder it was to accept reality once you'd woken up. Deidara knew it was the reason he needed to keep the distance they had between himself and Sasori. It wasn't the redhead, it was him.

"You're going to be late for the next class," Sasori reminded him, bringing the blond out of his depressing solitude.

"So are you," Deidara muttered, "and I'm not going."

Sasori stood up from his chair, but instead of going out the door like he'd been expected to, he climbed onto his own bed beneath the blond's.

"Dei-baby?" Sasori said, once he'd made himself comfortable by crossing his legs and resting his head on his hands.

"Hm?" the blond grunted, making it known that he was listening.

"Are you willing to tell me about your past now?" Sasori asked and Deidara could tell that the redhead was more than curious. Not only that, it had probably been the only thing on his mind ever since they'd left the headmaster's office.

_It's not like I have anything to lose anymore,_Deidara thought sullenly and said: "Ask me questions and I'll answer. It would take eons to retell you everything that's happened since I was born."

"Can I ask anything?" Sasori asked, wanting to make sure they were on the same page.

Deidara thought it over. He didn't recall anything worth hiding, so he gave a low "yes".

"Tell me about your family members."

Deidara snorted. "That's not a question."

"What are your family members like?" Sasori amended.

Deidara sighed. Maybe this hadn't been such a great idea after all? But he'd already promised... and perhaps simply talking would improve his mood a little? "I used to live with my mother, father and twin-sister, before I transferred here-"

"Wait," Sasori interrupted him already. Deidara frowned. Did he want to hear it or not? "You have a twin-_sister?_What does she look like? Like a boy? Or the same as you?"

Deidara's face cleared and he laughed, not a bit offended by Sasori referring to him as a girl. "When it comes to looks, we're completely different – like the day and night. She has short blue hair, and her facial features are completely different from mine. We used to accuse our parents of adopting one of us. But we're the exact same height, so I guess we _could_be related. She goes to a different school in Japan than I do, in another city. That was the only way we were allowed to move here."

"Wait," Sasori cut him off once again. "You were _allowed?_You lost me."

"Well, how do I put this simply? Both myself and my sister did some - things - in the previous cities we lived in, and the governments always sent us out of the countries. We were too young to be put in jail, so they thought the best way to get rid of us, and not kill us, was to send us out of the country. That's the main reason we moved so often. I have no idea how my parents succeeded in getting a permission to move to Japan. One of the conditions that I know of was that I and my sister would be separated, 'cause everything we ever did, we did together. Guess they believed that would change if we were separated."

A silence fell. Deidara could only smile to himself for managing to quiet his talkative roommate.

"You're a criminal," Sasori stated when he'd finally found his voice. "I think I'm in love."

Deidara snorted and rolled his eyes.

"What did you _do_ then?"

"The list is too long."

"At least give me _some_incidents," Sasori begged, "Like the one when you did Tsunade a favour."

Deidara burst out laughing, assumingly at the enjoyable memory. "Me and my sister set a school on fire. On a Saturday night of course, so nobody got hurt. And Tsunade's ex-husband was the school's main sponsor."

Sasori joined his blonde roommate in the laughter until his stomach hurt. "That woman is twisted."

"Oh yes she is," Deidara agreed. "That was when the German government got fed up and sent us out. The list of things we'd done _before_that was pretty long as well, I guess."

"Oh Deidara, Deidara, why are you Deidara?" Sasori paraphrased Juliet's lines, sighing.

"Baby, I was born this way," Deidara joked back, quoting Lady Gaga. "Oh, by the way Sasori, what do you know about the pile of papers behind our door?"

"Nothing. I guess it's your fanmail."

Although Deidara knew Sasori'd been joking and that the letters would probably be full of insults, he was still curious. He got up and went to the door, shoving the papers inside before closing the door. He noticed that the pile was a lot bigger than it had been before.

"You're really that bored?" Sasori asked, propping himself up on his elbows, and raised his eyebrows.

Deidara smiled broadly at him. He looked eccentrically enthusiastic, like a kid on a Christmas morning. "Come and help me sort them. We'll make a pile of hatemail and a pile of i-believe-you-and-wanna-marry-you-Deidara letters. Let's see which one will be bigger."

"Want to bet?"

Deidara laughed. "I'd rather not."

_Fucking fag go kill yourself_

_YOU TOOK MY SASORI_

_I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY SAY I BELIEVE YOU STAY STRONG DEIDARA_

_Kill urself before I do it for you_

_I like you like I like Harry Potter. I fucking hate HP_

_Hypocrite_

_Slut_

_Transvestite_

_Slut and Transvestite_

_Marry me?_

_U free tonight?_

_Hag_

_Jump out of a window_

And the list went on. In the end, 1/3 of the letters were from admirers. Both of the boys just kept staring at the piles, when Deidara finally burst out laughing.

"I'm popular," he said, wiping away a tear from the corner of his eye.

Sasori gave him an amused look. "What do we do with them? Do you want to treasure them and cover the walls?"

Deidara shook his head. "Stand back," he said and took something from his pocket. It looked like gray play clay. He rolled it back and forth between his palms until it was in the shape of a sausage and then split it in two and threw it on the piles. Sasori's eyes widened a notch at the little explosion. In a second the only thing left were two small piles of ashes. Just like old times, Deidara thought.

"Let's go to eat," Sasori said, standing up.

Deidara looked up. "Already?" he asked, glancing at the clock on the wall. "It's not lunchtime yet."

"I meant to the basement," Sasori explained.

Deidara looked at the redhead, insulting shock on his face. "_With you?_You mean, like, together?"

Sasori laughed at his roommate's discomfort. "What? It's okay to spend a night with me in the mop closet, but it's _not_ okay to go eat with me?"

Deidara grimaced at the memory and his expression turned into a glare. "I'd appreciate it, if you didn't mention it, thank you very much."

"C'mon, Dei-baby," Sasori purred, wrapping his arms around Deidara's waist but the blond raised his palms.

"No! No touching and no kissing. Then I'll come," he said and the redhead released him immediately, putting on his angel face. Deidara gave him a strict look."Remember, we're only a couple in your playboy, and almost everybody else's in this school, imagination. But _not_in reality. Ever."

"We'll see about that," Sasori muttered, before receiving a death glare from the blonde. "Ok, ok. No touching, no kissing. Got it."

Even though the class hadn't ended, there was a queue in the buffet. So much for everybody attending classes.

"_I'm touching and kissing with tears in my eyes..."_Sasori sang in a low voice as they waited, receiving a hit in the ribs from Deidara. "What?" Sasori whispered to him. "It's Cinema Bizarre, Dei. That name's a metaphor for being allowed to be sung anywhere."

Fortunately for the blond, they had reached the cashier already. "I'll take a kebab and cherry juice," Sasori said, looking at Deidara.

"Um... I'll take green salad, apple juice and a toffee cake."

Sasori placed the money on the counter and looked at the blond questioningly.

"What? I like cake," Deidara said, grinning widely.

They went to sit down at the same table Deidara had sat at on the previous day with Sakura and Ino.

"I'll pay you back when we get to our room," Deidara said, his mouth full of salad. Who cared about manners with that playboy? Anything to make him look more unattractive would do him only good.

Sasori shook his head, disagreeing. "There's no need for that."

Deidara frowned and looked at him with a questioning look, choosing not to risk any of the food dropping out of his mouth.

"You're here. That's more than enough," Sasori explained before sinking his teeth into the kebab.

Deidara rolled his eyes and swallowed. "Playboy," he muttered.

Sasori sighed harshly, putting down his kebab. "Dei-baby, you need to learn to distinguish honesty and flirting."

"You need to learn some new tricks, 'cause honestly, this is just sad," Deidara retorted.

That kept Sasori silent until they were done eating. They left the buffet and started walking towards the stairs. There were already many students running up and down the stairs, the numbers increasing rapidly. The class had obviously ended.

"Are we going to skip the next class as well?" Sasori asked as they reached the top of the stairs, not realizing he was talking in plural until he had already said it. Some things were just too easy to get used to.

They had stopped momentarily to let the streams of students through. Sasori saw Pein coming and motioned at him when he felt someone brush against his shoulder. He turned around and was able to glimpse dark hair, before he caught sight of Deidara falling.

It all happened so fast. Before Sasori could tell his body to move, his brain had already transmitted him the image of Deidara lying on the floor on the bottom of the stairs. He'd landed on his stomach. A horrifying voice in Sasori's head told him that the blond wasn't moving.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	7. Chapter 7

_7/20 chapters completed! Yayy~~ xD _

_The songs used here are 'You' by The Pretty Reckless and a 'modified' version of 'Hey there Delilah' by Plain White T's._

* * *

_**Chapter 7**_

* * *

_"Deidara! Deidara!"_

Deidara heard various voices calling out for him, but all of them seemed so far away and distant. ("Oh my God! What happened?" "What's going on?!" "Why is he on the floor?!")

He wanted to open his mouth and answer, but couldn't. His whole body had grown numb and motionless, as though someone had cut through his nerves. ("That little fucker fell down the damn stairs!" "What happened? Oh my god!" "Is he ok?" "Deidara! Can you hear me?")

He could feel a weird buzz at the back of his head but didn't know what it was. ("Pein, help me here! We need to get him to the infirmary." "He's not moving!" "Is that blood on his face?")

It seemed to centre all his attention, though, and soon, he couldn't hear the voices anymore.

"_Oh god! Oh god! DEIDARA!"_

"_...like I see you. And I can't have you, like you have me..."_

Deidara heard a familiar melody as he slowly came to. It danced in the air surrounding him like a fly, with indistinctive words that he could not understand. He wanted to open his eyes, but found his eyelids abnormally heavy. He listened to the voice singing more carefully, trying to understand the words.

"_And I... Want you in my life... And I... need you in my life..."_

Finally, Deidara was able to make out the words. He considered it a huge success. He knew the song – and loved it; there'd been days he wouldn't go a day without listening to it. He wanted to open his eyes, to open them and answer the voice, but couldn't. Why couldn't he open his eyes?

"_You can't feel me, no, like I feel you... And I can't steal you, oh, like you stole me..."_

"Sasori..." Deidara breathed with his lips barely open. To him it sounded like _Sssrri_but he guessed the redhead understood him. "I know you're here, bastard. I just can't open my eyes to prove it."

He heard a chuckle. "Dei-baby!" Sasori said, relief filling his voice. Deidara sensed him bend forward and take something off of his face. As soon as he did, Deidara could open his eyes. He looked at the smiling face of the redhead. For a moment he forgot everything, even his own name. Then he tore his gaze away and glanced around himself.

He knew he was in the infirmary, although he had never been there before. It wasn't difficult to guess; you'd seen one of them, you'd seen them all. The room was big and lofty with dozens of beds with white sheets pushed against the white walls. Deidara noticed that there was a white nightstand next to his bed, with lots of flowers, papers and colourful boxes on it. He raised his eyebrows at it, but didn't comment on it.

Instead he looked back at Sasori who'd sat down on his bed again. "Why was that thing covering my eyes?" Deidara asked, starting to raise his hand, but thought better of it when he saw that it was in bandages. He frowned at them.

"There was a wound right next to your eye and the nurse wrapped the bandage around your head to stop the bleeding," Sasori explained, then added: "I think. Since you were out anyway, covering your eyes didn't make much difference to you."

"How long have I been out?" Deidara questioned, realizing his voice was hoarse. He tried to cough to clear his throat.

"Two days. It's the second day's evening," Sasori said, yawning a little. His brown eyes were wide and staring into Deidara's. For some reason he looked incredibly happy; as though all hope had been restored inside of him. Deidara didn't want to know what that meant.

He blinked once and then once more, opening his eyes wider than before. That was when he was able to grasp the whole image of Sasori and the reality of it frightened him. There were full dark circles saw dark circles under the redhead's brown eyes. The contrast between them and his completely colourless face was horrifying. Sasori looked worse than Deidara felt. He should've been lying on the bed, not the blond.

"You're a mess. Have you slept at all?" There was a fairly strong accusing tone in Deidara's voice.

Sasori smirked. "Why? Are you worried about me?" he teased, but couldn't hide the weariness in his voice completely.

Before Deidara could retort, the door was opened and the nurse stepped into the infirmary, regarding some papers in her hand. She looked thoughtful. When she raised her gaze and saw Deidara, she smiled warmly at him; but when her eyes ran over to Sasori, rage covered her face.

"Akasuna, you're _still_here?" she asked angrily. "It's dinnertime; go get something to eat at least."

"But-"

"No buts, Akasuna!" the nurse snapped. "You may be the king of the world in the school and even step on Tsunade's rules, but this here is _my _territory and you shall obey. Now OUT!"

"I'll be back," Sasori whispered to Deidara, winking at him, and stood up, lowering his head when passing the woman whose eyes followed him the whole way. Deidara saw Sasori send him a smirk that was shielded by his red hair from the nurse's look. Deidara couldn't help but smile back.

"That boy," the nurse muttered after the door had closed, shaking her head in distaste. When she turned to face Deidara, there was a far friendlier smile on her face. "You've got some fans, Deidara dear. That nuisance hasn't left the infirmary ever since you got here. He didn't even go to eat, his friends brought him food here" – the woman's face showed exactly just how she felt about that – "let alone attend the classes or go sleep in his own bed during the nights."

She let out a weary sigh. "I have no idea what Tsunade is going to do with him. Absolutely and utterly hopeless. He doesn't follow anyone's rules." The nurse stopped talking for a moment, smiling at Deidara, before going to check his wounds. "I'm glad you're finally awake, dear. My name is Shizune."

Deidara wasn't used to being called a 'dear'. He couldn't remember the last time someone had called him that. Had anyone ever? If they had, it had been when he'd still been in diapers.

Shizune stepped back and took a look at her papers. "I'm guessing you're interested in your injuries."

Deidara nodded and gave a low "mhm", or something similar to it. In any case, it was an agreeing sound. Shizune's eyes drifted away from him to her papers.

"Well, it could've been worse, I can tell you that," she started. "The stairs in this school are pretty high. You've got a hand fracture in your left arm; a crack to be more precise. The wound next to your left eye is from hitting your head against the stairs. That was the reason I gave you sleeping pills. Plus, many bruises and that's it. As I said, it could've been a lot worse, but you managed to land almost properly and avoid the worst case scenario," she said, smiling at the blond. "You've learned martial arts, I assume?"

"A few years ago, yes," Deidara replied with pretended absent-mindedness. He didn't want to talk about anything that happened a few years ago.

"I will let you sleep now. If your arm or head starts to hurt let me know. There's a button next to your head, press it if you need anything," Shizune said, smiling once again, and left the room.

Deidara closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep, but failed miserably. Thoughts overwhelmed him. Sasori had been here all this time? Why? Why was he going so damn far? It didn't even seem like he was sucking up to him, otherwise he wouldn't have stayed when the blond had been unconscious. There really weren't any points he could've earned if Deidara wasn't even aware of him being here.

Shizune had said his friends had brought him food here; she probably meant the members of the Akatsuki. Suddenly, Deidara felt horrified. The Akatsuki had been here while he'd been unconscious. He knew they probably wouldn't do anything to him when he was in a state like that, but he couldn't help but stress over it. Old habits die hard.

They could've done anything to him, without him even knowing it. Why had they been let in here? To feed Sasori? Deidara felt rage starting to stir up in him when he thought about the redhead. Why had that bastard stayed there in the first place? Couldn't he just act normal for a change and eat at the canteen like normal people did?!

Deidara was about to close his eyes when he remembered something. Why had he fallen down the stairs anyway? He remembered talking to Sasori and then... it was as if someone had pushed him down. He had felt the push from behind, so he didn't see who it was. He could've turned around to see while falling, but that would've made his injuries even worse and he couldn't risk it.

There was no way that _he _could've just tripped, so there had to be someone pushing him...

But who? One of his haters? Or maybe it was just an accident? Deidara's eyes stopped on the nightstand beside his bed. Speaking of haters, what was with all the letters on the nightstand? Couldn't they just leave him alone even when he was lying unconscious in a hospital bed? But... would the haters be bold enough to bring letters like that here, when Sasori had been here all this time?

Deidara tried to move each of his limbs, one at a time, just to check if it hurt. He felt no pain, so he sat up. He ripped the cannula off his right arm and threw his legs off the bed. His left arm was in a plaster cast, although the nurse had said it was only a crack.

Deidara slid onto the floor and took the little pile of letters, starting to read them while stretching and walking around in the ward.

_Deidara, we're so worried! We hope you wake up and get well soon. Sasori is hovering 24/7 and the nurse insisted on only one person staying. I think you're having a bad (or good?) influence on him. If we didn't know better, we'd think it was his gentle twin brother, not the same old Sasori. It's difficult to even recognize him nowadays! _

_Get better soon, we miss you._

_Love,_

_Sakura and Ino_

Deidara smiled and took a quick look at the rest of the papers. Most of them were notes that said similar things like "Get well soon" and "I hope your injuries aren't very serious". But there was one note that caught his attention.

_I'm sorry. I crossed the line._

There was no name and Deidara didn't recognize the handwriting. Was it from the one who had pushed him? Although it didn't tell him who had done it, it gave him the confidence that it wouldn't happen again. Not that he'd ever let his guard down from now on. One time was more than enough.

"_Hey there, Deidara, what's it like in New York City? I'm a thousand miles away, but boy tonight you look so pretty – _What the hell do you think you're doing, idiot?_"_

Sasori had walked into the ward, chiming quietly, when he'd noticed the blond standing barefoot in the aisle between the two rows of beds. Deidara glanced up from his letters at the angry expression that covered Sasori's face. The blond snorted and rolled his eyes, walking over to the nightstand to put the letters away.

"If you seriously expected me to stay in bed, then I'm not the only moron in this room," Deidara retorted. "I'm going back to our room to change. I really do not like these hospital clothes." He pointed at the tasteless, loose white t-shirt and pants.

"No wonder you got pushed down the stairs, you're too reckless," Sasori quipped as they left the ward.

"Oh, shut it," Deidara snapped back.

They walked through hallways where people stopped and stared. It irritated Deidara, but, to be fair, they were both worth staring at. In addition to all the gossip that was going on, Deidara's hair was a total mess and the white clothes emphasized the bruises on his arms, legs and face. Plus, he was barefoot and his arm was in a cast.

Sasori wasn't any better. He looked even sicker than Deidara thanks to all the sleepless nights. As they talked quietly to each other, they gave an impression of two zombies, trying to fit in with the humans, talking about their plan to eat everyone's brains. Or at least that's what the majority seemed to think.

As soon as they had reached their room, Deidara took his toothbrush and toothpaste and headed for the bathroom. He returned in about 10 minutes, and got dressed in a pair of jeans, a black T-shirt and a hoodie.

Deidara took his schedule from his desk drawer and scanned it.

"What day is it?" he asked absentmindedly.

Sasori sighed and sat down on his chair. "It's Saturday, Dei-baby. No classes today. Plus, it's already past 6 pm."

"Really?" Deidara looked up from the paper, surprised. "What do you do during the weekends here?"

Sasori shrugged. "We're allowed to leave the school and we don't need to be back at school before Sunday night."

Deidara smiled happily, and started digging in his bag to find his wallet. "Let's go out to eat then. I'm starving. My treat."

Sasori chuckled as he watched the worked-up blonde almost jumping on the spot, waiting for him to answer. "You're fairly lively for someone who looks like he was run over by a truck," he commented.

Deidara's smile turned instantly into a smirk as he quipped back. "You seem fairly alive for someone who looks like he just died. For real, were you up all night doing drugs in the infirmary?"

"Busted," Sasori said, raising his palms and standing up. "Where do you want to go?" he asked as they walked down the hallways and the stairs. Both of them seemed to be on an edge on the stairs, Sasori wrapping his arm around his roommate's shoulders without the blond even noticing.

"My sister told me about a great Italian restaurant near here," Deidara said as the redhead pushed the front door of the school open, holding it for his roommate.

The sky was already dark as they walked down the almost empty street. The street lights illuminated the road as the cold wind brushed against the boys. Deidara was already shivering by the time they reached the restaurant. They sat down by a window, the blond feeling relieved by the warmth.

"Does this count as a date?" Sasori asked as the waitress brought them their pastas.

"Say that one more time and your pasta will be all over your face," Deidara threatened, although half-heartedly.

"Is that a maybe?" Sasori asked jokingly, starting to eat.

"It's a no."

"Definitely a maybe."

Deidara rolled his eyes and decided to change the topic. "Why did you stay in the infirmary? You kind of put me in mortal danger."

Sasori nearly choked. He coughed and wiped a tear from not being able to swallow from the corner of his eye. Deidara watched his reaction with questioning eyes. Sasori cleared his throat and asked: "How on Earth does my presence put you in mortal danger?"

Deidara frowned thoughtfully. "Now that you paraphrase it, I realize it is your damn fault I have so many haters and it was one of them that got the great idea to push me down the stairs." Sasori's face immediately hardened when Deidara said that, but the blond paid it no mind. "To top it off, thanks to your presence, your _friends_visited the infirmary as well, to bring you food, as I heard. They could've killed me right on the spot!"

"Do you truly believe I would let them do that?" Sasori asked sceptically, all but forgetting his food.

The blond took a moment to think about it before answering. "No. You'd probably want to finish the job yourself..."

"Deidara," Sasori said, for once using the blond's real name, his face dead serious. "Will you stop it with the paranoia already? If I wanted to _kill _you, I think I would've already done it. I've had more than one opportunity for it - I spent over 48 hours with the unconscious you."

"True, but I've never completely understood you. I really have no idea what you're waiting for."

Sasori sighed impatiently, rubbing his forehead and eyes. "Dei, the Akatsuki are not going to hurt you."

Deidara looked shocked. "What? Why?"

The redhead didn't reply, instead he continued eating his all but forgotten pasta. They finished their dishes and Deidara paid their bill as promised.

"You want to take a little walk?" Sasori asked the blond when they got outside.

"In this cold? No way," Deidara replied, shivering a little.

"I can give you my jacket," Sasori offered, smiling warmly.

"Are you kidding? You're going to freeze before you can say "Yes, I'm a bastard". Are you going to be suicidal only to get me to take a walk?"

Sasori smiled and took off his leatherjacket, holding it out for the blond. "Why would I ever be suicidal with you here?" He winked at the other.

Deidara put the jacket on, frowning. "You're crazy," he muttered and started walking in the opposite direction to the school. Sasori followed him, naturally.

"Crazy about you," Sasori amended, laughing. He looked like all the happiness in the world had gathered inside him. Deidara couldn't help but smile at the cheerful redhead.

"Cliché," he added.

"Cliché about y-," Sasori started, but cut himself off. "Never mind," he said and they both laughed.

Although it was hard for Deidara to admit it, he actually enjoyed his roommate's company. It was easy talking to him. Deidara could let his real emotions show without worrying about someone taking his smile or silence as a clue for something.

"What are you thinking about?" Sasori asked, observing the blond's expressions carefully.

Deidara smiled and exhaled, watching how his breath turned into steam. "I think that I actually enjoy your company," he admitted genuinely. "Most of the time, at least," he added, remembering Sasori kissing him in front of the whole class. He laughed at the memory, realizing he wasn't even mad at the redhead anymore for that.

"I think my birthday came early this year," Sasori muttered, more to himself than the blond. "One and a half week early."

Deidara looked at him, the expression on his face a mixture of surprise and disbelief. "Your birthday is in one and a half week?"

Sasori nodded, smiling a little sadly. "The eighth of November. I thought you knew."

"How the hell was I supposed to know that?" Deidara asked, raising his voice. "Let me guess, it was written in the school rules?"

Sasori laughed and explained: "No. People in this city just know."

"Oh right, I forgot. I'm living with a celebrity," Deidara said, sulking a little. He hated to be the last one to know stuff.

Sasori caressed the blond's cheek softly as he was stubbornly looking the other way. "What's the matter, Dei-baby? Did you want to get me a present?"

"I figured that it would be showing good manners," Deidara muttered. "You are my roommate after all."

"Dei, your presence is already a present enough."

"You know, for a member of the badass group Akatsuki, you're quite soft," Deidara teased, finally looking at the redhead. Sasori stared at him seriously for a few seconds, his eyes glowing, before he burst out laughing.

"Yeah, well, I didn't use to be, before I met you. You have a bad influence on me."

"Of course, blame it all on me," Deidara said jokingly. "That's the same thing Sakura said, that I have a bad influence on you."

"That's the same thing my friends said," Sasori said. "Pein accused me of falling for you, instead of making you fall for me. He said that I was going to leave a black spot in the history of the Akatsuki."

"Nice friends you have there," Deidara commented sarcastically.

"Oh, they are," Sasori argued. "Especially Pein. They just don't want to see me fall."

"Take their advice then, be smart and don't fall," Deidara advised, although there was some sort of an unexplainable note in his voice. "Give your permission for someone to change roommates with me."

"So that somebody else could snatch you?" Sasori asked, raising one eyebrow. "Not even if the hell froze over. To be honest, I actually think I'd enjoy falling if it was because of you."

Deidara rolled his eyes dramatically, making a face as if he was talking to an idiot. Which, in his opinion, he was. "Why can't you ever be serious?"

"Why don't you believe me, when I say I am?" Sasori countered.

"Why should I? You have to admit, you're not the most trustworthy person in this country," Deidara reasoned. "Besides, your statements are mostly rather ridiculous. And there's only one person in this world I trust completely, in addition to myself, and it's definitely not you."

"Who is he?" Sasori pried, curious. Deidara thought if it was only his imagination, or was there really a hint jealousy in the redhead's voice.

"It's a she," Deidara stated.

"Are you having a long distance relationship?" Sasori asked. Deidara looked at him, wide-eyed, and burst out laughing, seeing that his roommate was actually serious.

"You're seriously so worried about me having someone? I've said it before, I'm single," he reminded the older male.

Sasori couldn't help but sigh in relief and give the blond even more reasons to laugh.

"Of course, I could be lying..." Deidara added, turning serious and looking straight into the redhead's eyes. Sasori stared at him, confusion covering his face, until Deidara broke into a smirk.

"You damn hot demon, you're playing with me!" Sasori accused, although there was no real anger in his voice. He wanted to grab his roommate, but the blond had somehow foreseen it and jumped out of the way. "Come back!" Sasori exclaimed as Deidara started running away, laughing out loud.

"Can't catch me, playboy!" the blond shouted back at the redhead. He turned and ran to an abandoned sidestreet, cussing in German when he realized it was a dead end. To no one's surprise, he soon heard Sasori chuckling behind him.

"No, but I can trap you," the redhead drawled, wrapping his arms around the younger male and pressing his lips against his neck.

"Hey, I'm warning you. I have a plaster cast and I'm not afraid to use it," Deidara threatened, but he was completely ignored.

"Speaking of your injured hand, we should head back. You need to rest," Sasori said and pecked the blonde on the mouth before letting go.

"I've been resting like the dead the past two days. Wasn't that enough?"

-x-

Deidara tried to fall asleep in his bed, but couldn't. His head hurt like hell and his arm had started to sting as well. It wasn't his first time trying to fall asleep with painful injuries, but in the past, he'd always had sleeping pills up his sleeve. He turned to his other side again, making the annoying sound with his bed, trying to find a better position.

"Can't fall asleep, love?" he heard Sasori's voice from below.

"Cut out those nicknames," Deidara snapped, irritated. "And no, I can't. My head hurts and my hand hurts as well. You don't happen to have any sleeping pills, do you?"

Sasori chuckled. "No, but I have painkillers."

Deidara wondered why he would have those, but out loud he said: "Could you give me some?"

"Only if you come down and sleep here tonight," Sasori replied playfully.

Deidara groaned and turned to his other side again. "You can go to hell, bastard."

Sasori started counting seconds in his head, his smirk going even wider. He already knew the blond too well.

"Hey, I'm injured. Cut me some slack, will you?" Deidara almost pleaded 20 seconds later.

"Oh, _now_you're injured, Dei? What about being injured when you ran away from me earlier?"

It didn't take long for the blond to finally give up and climb down. He stood besides the redhead's bed, wearing only his black boxers.

"Give me those damn pills and some water," he hissed, shivering so hard his whole body was shaking.

Sasori smiled victoriously and came out of his bed. "Get under the covers, I'll find them for you."

Deidara obeyed unwillingly, and wrapped the blanket around himself, but the shivering didn't stop. He wondered if it could've been caused by the crack in his arm.

Sasori returned and gave him the pill with a bottle of water. Deidara swallowed them and lay down. Sasori took the blanket from the upper bed and joined him, wrapping one of his arms around the shivering male.

"Dei-baby, you're almost shaking," he said worriedly.

"R-really? Th-thanks for sh-sharing the n-news, Sh-sh-sherlock," Deidara retorted. "I-it will p-pass in a-about t-ten m-minutes."

"Is there anything I can do?" Sasori asked, almost desperately.

Deidara, who had been facing the wall instead of the older male until now, turned around and took his roommate's hands. He placed Sasori's index fingers near his temples and pressed them against his head, making them move in little circles.

"Y-you can-n co-continue doing th-that, it w-will reduce the headache," Deidara said, slipping his hands under the covers again.

Sasori did, watching the younger male as he finally stopped shivering. He even continued for a few minutes after the blond had fallen asleep. When he was completely certain there was no more need, he wrapped his arms around the cold younger male, pulling him closer and finally falling asleep as well.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	8. Chapter 8

_This... was done in a rush. As some of you might know, I've been on hiatus for some time, but I got the sudden urge to update a fic of mine. Hence I chose the easiest option - I edited this chapter as quickly as possible. Not nearly as well as I would've liked, but what the hell. Let's just say I couldn't be bothered and leave it at that._

_ Hope you like it._

* * *

**Chapter 8**

* * *

"Deidara," Sasori whispered, his eyes glowing a dangerous colour as he looked at the blond and extended his hand. "Let's go. Come with me."

Deidara stared at his roommate in confusion. He didn't even feel like himself anymore as he looked into the redhead's eyes. He knew what he wanted to say and knew it was the opposite of what he was going to say.

"No," he answered weakly, feeling a thorn piercing through his heart. He lowered his gaze and closed his eyes. It was that moment when he felt something snap inside of him and realized he didn't care anymore. The only thing he wanted was for Sasori to get what he had just said.

"No," he repeated numbly, a little louder than before, opening his eyes and looking at the redhead, his eyes glazed over. He began walking towards Sasori, bringing one foot in front of the other mechanically.

Sasori's eyes widened and the dangerous glow in them faded.

"No," Deidara kept repeating, putting his hands in front of him and then on the redhead's chest when he reached him.

"No!" He pushed Sasori so hard that the redhead was forced to take a couple of steps back.

"NO!" Deidara gave the boy one final push and watched how the redhead lost his balance on the edge of a deep fissure, and fell into the depths of it.

Deidara watched, his eyes cold as ice, not giving away any hints of him even being aware of his surroundings. He felt a raindrop fall on his face, making the something snap inside of him again. Deidara blinked twice. The train of reality rushed back to him at the speed of light and crushed him as he realized what he'd just done.

He'd pushed Sasori into a fissure. He had killed him. And there was no turning back now.

Deidara covered his mouth, gasping for air. He looked around him, tears blurring his vision. There was a row of people standing next to him, all looking down into the depth of the fissure with expressionless faces. Deidara recognized a few of them. Tsunade was right next to him, then Sakura and Ino, Pein, Hidan, Neji, Shikamaru. With another gasp, Deidara realized he knew all of them, and they all had witnessed what had just happened.

Deidara reached out for Tsunade's shoulder. "I-i'm sorry," he whispered, but received no reply. Deidara looked back into the fissure, the same way everybody else did.

"No... no..." he tried to deny it, arguing with himself over and over as the words came out in whispers. He shook his head, still muttering, and took a leap forwards, following the redhead.

"_SASORI!"_Deidara screamed, hitting his hand against something as he snapped his eyes open. He was panting, when he looked around in the room, searching for the redhead. "Sasori... Sasori..." he kept muttering until he finally found him sitting in the bed next to him, covering his brown eye with his hand.

-x-

"I'm sorry, Sasori!" Deidara said, for about the one hundredth time that morning as the two of them were waiting in the queue for breakfast. "It was... only a dream," he muttered, gazing down and then sheepishly looking up at the redhead, who was wearing sunglasses to cover his at-the-moment-red-but-soon-to-be-blue eye. Deidara had punched him right in the face with his plaster cast when waking up from his nightmare.

Sasori didn't smile, and due to the sunglasses, Deidara couldn't tell if he was angry or not.

"I will... I will make it up to you!" the blond exclaimed, not even aware of all the faces turning their way. "Any way you want."

This caught the older male's attention and he looked down at the blond. "_Any_way I want?"

Deidara gulped and cursed himself for digging his own grave, but decided not to back down now. "Yes," he confirmed. "_Any_way you want."

Sasori chuckled, looking at the blond who was trying to hold himself back from screaming 'NO! FORGET IT! I JUST WASN'T THINKING STRAIGHT!'.

"Is guilt turning you suicidal or have you just started to trust me?" the redhead asked playfully.

"Um..." Deidara looked down, trying to remember his reasoning. If there even was one, that is. "I figured that your wish wouldn't be to kill me, and anything else, I guess I'd survive."

Sasori smiled and reached his hand to play with the blond's hair. "I wish you hit me more often."

Deidara groaned, thinking about all the worst case scenarios he could think of. "You... you're not going to cut my hair, are you?" he asked, terrified at the idea.

Sasori cocked his head to one side, putting on a dreaming face, as if he was imagining Deidara with another hairstyle. "No. I like your current hairstyle."

Deidara sighed in relief, absolutely certain he could handle any request the redhead made then. "So, what's your wish? Name it, and I'll grant it. You're facing your magic fish."

"Aren't magic fish supposed to grant three wishes?" Sasori asked in a disappointed voice.

"Well, your fish is handicapped and is only able to grant one wish. So deal with it. What's your wish?" Deidara demanded.

Sasori chuckled and shook his head. "Not yet, Dei-baby. Not yet."

Deidara's face fell and he sighed disappointedly. "Do I at least get to know the exact date?"

Sasori thought for a moment and replied, "Why not make it on my birthday? Next Tuesday."

"Oh god..." Deidara whispered in horror. "Sasori!" he exclaimed, grabbing the surprised redhead's collar. "I have NO IDEA what to give you for your birthday!"

"Let's make it two wishes then?" Sasori asked, his voice full of hope. Deidara glared at him murderously, not even knowing how to reply. "One _small_wish and one normal-sized?" Sasori made another offer, trying to change the conditions more to the blond's liking.

Deidara loosened his grip, thinking it over. "Okay," he said. "_If_I get to know one of the wishes _today."_

"Geez, babe, you're so impatient," Sasori scolded him with a playful smile. "But okay. Deal."

After having breakfast, they went back to their room, Deidara both anxious and impatient to find out his roommate's first wish. As soon as they got in, Sasori took his cell and started typing. Deidara looked at him for a moment and then sat down to wait for the other to finish.

"Um, Sasori?" he asked, as the redhead put his phone away.

The older male snapped his head towards the blond, letting him know he was listening.

"Do you have more of those painkillers?"

Sasori nodded and went to his drawer. He took out a small box of pills and threw it to the blond, along with a bottle of water. Deidara thanked him and washed a pill down with a gulp of water.

"So, ready to tell me your wish?" Deidara asked as he wiped away water from his mouth.

Sasori nodded and stood up. "Grab your jacket," he told the blond and went to the door, holding it open. "We're going out."

Deidara gave a little suspicious look, but obeyed and followed his roommate out of the school. He stepped out of the front door and froze. He was about to run into Sasori's lap, but thought better of it and hid himself behind the redhead instead.

All of the members of the Akatsuki were waiting for them in a half circle.

"Um, Sasori, I think I forgot something in our room..." Deidara said in a low voice, starting to back away towards the door. "Something like the rest of my remaining life..." he said, grabbing the handle, but was pulled back by Sasori wrapping his arm around his waist.

"My wish, remember, Dei-baby?" Sasori reminded him in a whisper.

Deidara gave up struggling and just stood there, sulking, being careful not to meet any of the teens' eyes. "This better not be the small wish..." he muttered.

"That fucker was a lot bolder when he slammed the damn shit tray all over me," Hidan said, loudly enough for everyone to hear.

Kakuzu nodded in agreement. "Gives the impression of him being afraid of Sasori, rather than us."

"What's the point of all this?" Deidara hissed at his grinning roommate.

"The point is for you to get to know the _real_Akatsuki," Sasori replied, tightening his grip around the blond. Just in case.

"Well, that's a _lovely_ idea," Deidara said with a fake smile, "but I think I'll pass," he added, starting to struggle to get out of the grip.

"Deidara, my wish," Sasori reminded him and once again the blond stopped struggling.

"Where to, Sasori?" Pein asked.

"The usual place," Sasori replied and started walking with his friends, holding Deidara tightly by his side, making the blond move as well.

Kisame was the one to start a conversation, one that Deidara paid no attention to. Instead, he observed the members carefully, their actions, way of speaking, walking etc. Just an old habit. The impression they left was nothing like he had expected. They were just a group of teenage boys - most of them probably gay - rather than a dangerous gang full of vandals. All of them seemed to be together, except for Pein.

Deidara just kept staring absentmindedly, when he heard a voice in his head yell. _AND SASORI! EVERYBODY'S TOGETHER EXCEPT FOR PEIN AND SASORI!_Deidara realized he had only counted Pein, because he was the only one not touching anyone. Now that he thought about it, people looking at him and Sasori, probably _did_ take them for a gay couple. Or straight.

Deidara frowned at the thought of people thinking he was a girl. To his surprise, he couldn't help but smile at the idea of them giving an impression of a couple. Although there was a part of him that was ready to deny everything and never wanted to admit he cared for the boy, there was also a part that wanted to screw all his past principles and just enjoy Sasori's presence and touch. Deidara felt that last part grow bigger with every hour he spent with the redhead.

He let out a small sigh, making Sasori, who had been caught up in the conversation, look at him questioningly. Deidara shook his head a little and smiled at his roommate, pulling himself closer to him. There was obvious confusion and surprise in Sasori's eyes, but he settled for a smile as well, tightening his grip.

"Deidara, why did you move so often?" the blond heard Itachi asking. Deidara wouldn't have even noticed the question, had the boy not added his name to the question. The young male looked at his roommate, as if to ask permission for speaking. Sasori smiled at him encouragingly.

Deidara thought for a second. Was he supposed to tell the truth or stay with his my-parents'-work explanation? He couldn't think of any bad consequences, so he decided to tell the truth.

"Me and my sister got sent out of the country," he said, causing a short silence to fall.

After a couple of seconds, everybody except for the blond, Sasori and Itachi burst out laughing. Deidara looked at them awkwardly, not knowing if he should take this as a good or bad sign.

"What the fuck did you do?" Hidan asked, still laughing and gasping for air.

"Um, it was different in every country. In some cases, the reason was that the list of things-we-shouldn't-have-done was too long for anyone to remember, in other cases there was only one incident, but it was big enough to cross the line, in the government's opinion," Deidara explained.

"Did you rob a bank?" Kakuzu asked as they had calmed down, the same time Kisame said, "At least tell us about _one_incident."

Deidara thought it over for a moment and decided to tell them the story of blowing up a school in Germany. Of course, he didn't leave Tsunade's part in this story unmentioned. By the time he finished, they had stopped, most of the members almost rolling on the ground in laughter. Even Itachi was chuckling. Deidara caught himself quite amused by his company.

When they finally calmed down again, he noticed that they had stopped in front of a huge mall and that building was exactly where they were headed. The blond's mouth fell open in surprise.

"A _mall?_Are you serious?" he asked and barked out a laugh. "Don't tell me. Akatsuki, _the great Akatsuki,_like to hang out in a mall?"

"Yeah, it sound kind of awkward when you put it like that," Kisame said thoughtfully.

They went to a double-leaved door that had a sign of "Personnel only" on it. Before Deidara could notice who had the card to open the door, it was already open and they stepped into a white corridor.

"Okay, which one of you wears a cute cashier's uniform as a part time job?" Deidara asked, jokingly.

No one replied, there was only a low chuckle in the group. They reached another door and opened it. Sasori and Deidara stayed at the back of the group as they went down the stairs. Finally reaching assumingly the lowest basement floor, they were in a dark corridor with glowing decorations on the walls. It gave the impression of a night club; there was even music coming from the other side of the corridor.

At the end of the corridor there was another door with a "18 +" sign on it. Without paying any attention to the sign, Hidan opened the door and went inside, the others following. As Deidara came in last with Sasori, he saw two guards on the other side of the door. As they passed them, Deidara realized with a gulp that there was a hand on his shoulder. He turned around in an instant, making Sasori turn around with him.

"Who are you?" the uniformed guard asked in a low bass, the threat in his eyes glowing through his sunglasses.

"He's with us," Sasori stated coldly, as the rest of the Akatsuki turned around to back him up.

"We have given no orde-," the other guard started to say, but was rudely cut off by Hidan.

"You heard the little fucker, asshole! This piece of shit is with us! Now -," Hidan yelled, but was shut up by Kakuzu placing a hand on his mouth.

Zetsu walked up to the first guard and showed him a piece of paper. "He's with us," he repeated what his comrades had already said and went back to his friends. The guard nodded and went back to his standing position.

It was only now that Deidara was finally able to take a look around the place. It looked like a huge casino, disco club and bar put together. Deidara had no doubts about him being the youngest in the whole room. Besides the Akatsuki, all of the people were at least 25.

Deidara could see that Itachi had already taken his place at the poker table, Kisame hovering behind him. Hidan was talking loudly with stay-away-I'm-Russian-mafia-looking men that were accompanied by two, in their early twenties, women, wearing clothes that looked more like sexy underwear than everyday clothes.

Kakuzu had started playing billiard with a group of people looking like Hawaiian mafia. Zetsu and Tobi had already disappeared.

Deidara looked at Sasori, who was still holding him tightly, as if to ask what they were going to do. He noticed that Pein was still standing next to Sasori, looking around in the room like he was looking for something.

"For starters, why don't we just have a round of drinks?" the redhead asked the younger male in his grip, getting an agreeing motion as a response.

The three of them went to the bar counter, but before they could order anything, Pein tapped on Sasori's shoulder and left. The redhead chuckled and waved for the barmaid to take their order. Deidara looked after Pein and saw him starting to talk with a brunette chick. _Playboy,_he thought in his head and wondered if Sasori would be acting the same if he wasn't here.

He looked back at Sasori, finding him staring at him.

"What?" Deidara asked as the redhead handed him his drink.

"Freaked out yet?" Sasori asked with a smirk.

Deidara laughed and shook his head. "Not in the slightest. This kind of reminds me my past. Makes me feel like home."

Sasori laughed out loud and took a sip from his drink. Deidara looked at the liquid suspiciously, shaking the glass a little, as if to test it.

"Don't tell me you've never tasted alcohol," Sasori said, sounding sceptical.

"No, of course I have," Deidara replied, rolling his eyes. After gazing at the glass for a couple of more seconds, he took a sip. "Hmm... not bad," he said and smiled at his roommate.

"So, what do you think?" Sasori asked, already telling the barmaid to fill his glass again.

"About what? The Akatsuki?"

Sasori nodded, waiting for the answer. Deidara thought it over before replying.

"They are... not like I expected them to be. To be honest, I understand why you consider them your friends."

"And it wasn't such a bad idea to come with me?" Sasori pushed, a sly smirk on his face that Deidara didn't notice, due to being caught up in his nightmare again. '_Come with me...' 'NO!'_The voices kept echoing in his head as he shook his head to make them go away.

"No, it wasn't," he answered honestly.

Sasori laughed and slammed the once again empty glass against the counter. "Then this was the small wish!"

Deidara didn't catch on so quickly, looking confused, but when he did, he let out a small groan. Knowing there was no point in arguing, he let the barmaid fill his glass again.

The two of them kept talking for an unknown amount of time, neither of them counting the number of glasses they had emptied. Deidara was very well aware of himself being drunk, but the alcohol in his body just didn't let him care.

He stood up, feeling extremely light, and grabbed Sasori's hand.

"Let's dance!" he said, pointing at the dance floor, where a rather huge crowd was already dancing. Sasori recognized the song - Scream for my Ice Cream by Blood on the Dance Floor - and looked a little unbelievingly at the DJ. The man was jumping around in a circle and dancing on his own, clearly not sober. Sasori shrugged his shoulders and followed the blond.

They went to the middle of the dance floor and started dancing. As the chorus began, Deidara started singing along, laughing out loud. Sasori, obeying the blond's demanding look, joined in. Had Sasori not been looking into Deidara's eyes, he would've noticed Pein a couple of metres away, making out with the brunette chick. Had he not been looking at Deidara, he would've noticed Hidan throwing punches at a man at least 15 years older than him. Had he not been staring at the blond, he would've missed the devious smile on his face, just before Deidara pulled him into a kiss, wrapping his arms around the redhead's neck.

Recovering from the surprise in a second, Sasori wrapped his arms around the blond's waist, sliding his palm onto the blond's ass. He opened his mouth as he felt Deidara's tongue run along his lower lip. The blond let his tongue explore the mouth, not holding back in the slightest.

Sasori let out a low moan as their tongues mingled, running his other hand up Deidara's spine into his hair. The blond moved his lips together with Sasori's, giving the redhead everything he had in him that moment. Due to lack of air, they both had to pull away, arms still wrapped around each other.

"I hope I can still remember my reasoning tomorrow morning, when I'm sober," Deidara whispered, hiding his face in Sasori's chest.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	9. Chapter 9

****_People have been mean to poor Akuma and only gave her one review for her last update on Madness and shit. She feels neglected. She hopes she will get more love on this fic~ xD _

* * *

**Chapter 9**

* * *

Deidara opened his eyes and found himself lying on his roommate's bed, Sasori's arm wrapped around him. He turned his head and saw that the redhead was still sleeping, his face pressed against the blond's naked shoulder. Deidara frowned and tried to sit up, but wasn't able to move, due to the hand wrapped around him. He tried once and tried again, but it only made his headache worsen.

Deidara groaned and glared at him.

He tried to nudge him, but the boy only mumbled something indistinct as a response and tightened his grip around him. _Even in his SLEEP, he's stubborn. What a pain,_Deidara thought, his head hurting like fuck, making him even more irritated.

He took a deep breath, before opening his mouth and shouting, _"WAKE THE HELL UP, BASTARD!"_

Sasori snapped his eyes open instantly, sitting up in a rush and hitting his head against the upper bunk. He looked at the blond in confusion, rubbing his forehead with his hand.

Deidara gave an ironic "thank you" before getting out of the bed and going to Sasori's desk to take a painkiller.

"Pass me a pill as well, will you?" Sasori muttered, lying back on his bed. Deidara gave him a little surprised look, taking a sip of water from the bottle.

"What?" Sasori asked. "You think you were the only one drunk yesterday? Geez, I hate hangovers," he muttered the last sentence more to himself. The blond walked to him and pressed the white pill into his mouth, passing him the water bottle.

Deidara's face had gone serious as he stood there. After a few minutes he went to change his clothes, picking a pair of black jeans and a T-shirt with fake blood-marks on it. He remained quiet as he waited for Sasori to get ready as well.

Sasori sensed there was something on the blond's mind, but decided not to press it.

Hours went by without Deidara spilling a word. Not in any of the classes, not in the canteen during lunch where he sat at the same table with the rest of the Akatsuki. Sasori just walked with him to classes, choosing not to interrupt the blond's thoughts.

But there's a limit to everyone's patience and the redhead was no exception. Before gym, in the changing room, Sasori grabbed his roommate's arm and pulled him into a small space behind the lockers, away from any of the curious eyes that may have been staring at them.

"Dei, you're killing me," Sasori said in a lowered, pleading tone, looking at the blond who was still staring at the floor. "Tell me what you're thinking about. If you keep ignoring the world around you like you've been doing since this morning, you'll get run over in gym."

Deidara looked up, his expression showing clearly he hadn't been listening. "Sasori, what did you feel last night?"

"Ah?" the redhead asked dumbly, taking a few seconds to understand the question.

"What did you feel - last night - when I kissed you?" Deidara repeated, staring into the older male's eyes with emptiness in his own.

"I-I..." Sasori stuttered, not knowing how to answer to this sudden question. He searched for any hints of teasing on the blond's face, but the only thing he found was confusion. That made two of them. Sasori tried to remember his feelings that night. Not the easiest thing to do, since he had been fairly drunk back then.

"I- surprise... confusion..." Sasori closed his eyes, attempting to remember more as he continued with the list. "Happiness, lust... for more." He opened his eyes and found Deidara smiling at him, his expression a lot clearer.

"Good," he said, pressing his lips against the redhead's for a brief but soft kiss. "That's all that matters then," he said and walked away to change his clothes.

Deidara felt relieved he had gotten his answer, and suddenly, he just felt happy. He even gave Tenten a warm smile, before sending a ball flying in her chest. The whole day he had wondered what he really wanted and if it was actually worth the crowd's bickering. But now he realized he simply didn't care. It was his life and everybody else could go to hell. It wouldn't make much difference if he started dating Sasori anyway, since everybody already thought they were. He'd have to tell his friends, of course, but if they really _were_his friends, they wouldn't judge him.

Deidara was about to happily skip to the buffet, when an arm around his waist held him back.

"Dei-da-ra, tell me what's going on in that adorable head of yours," Sasori murmured against the back of his neck, planting soft kisses on the skin.

"Sasori, do you like me?" Deidara asked in a dead serious voice. "No fooling around bastard. Please, give me an honest answer," he said and turned around to face the redhead in his arms.

"Since the moment I first saw you in front of the school," the older male answered immediately, smiling.

"Would you still like me, if I said I hated your guts back then, but I think I'm in love now?" Deidara asked a little worriedly, sheepishly returning the smile.

Sasori laughed and threw his head back with a wide smile, before pulling the blond into a kiss. Deidara wrapped his one arms around the redhead's neck and kissed back, almost fiercely, moving his lips with Sasori's as he felt the other male bite his lower lip. With a mental smile, he opened his mouth and let the redhead's tongue in, letting out a small moan at the feeling of the tongue exploring his mouth. Deidara could feel the older male's hand sliding down to his back pocket, but he couldn't say he minded.

"No fucking PDA in the damn hallways, motherfuckers!" Both of the teens recognized Hidan's voice, but didn't pull away nevertheless.

"You're the one to talk, face-sucker," Sasori murmured against Deidara's lips, making the blond chuckle.

"_Iwaga and Akasuna, into my office."_

Deidara pulled away with a groan. Being interrupted by Tsunade's voice was as joyful as waking up with a bad breath. Annoying, but inevitable. Sasori left only one hand around Deidara's waist, smacking against Hidan's head as he passed him with the other one.

The blond knocked on the office door, before stepping in. Both males were about to sit down, when they saw Tsunade shake her head.

"No need to sit down, this will be quick," she said, smiling her little evil smile. "There will be no more cleaning duty in the cafeteria for either of you."

Deidara looked at the woman, his mouth popping open in surprise. Sasori cocked his head to one side and asked sceptically, "What's the catch?"

Tsunade chuckled. "If either of you will be caught breaking the school rules again, and won't have a good enough explanation, Deidara will change roommates. That's all."

This only made the blond's mouth open up even more, before he remembered to close it. _Oh, this woman is good,_he thought in his head. _Very good._

Sasori only nodded in acknowledgement and pulled Deidara out of the office with him. He started walking, still holding the blond's hand, but not looking at him.

"Sasori, where're we going?" Deidara asked in a sullen voice.

The redhead looked at him with a teeth-baring smile, which cheered the blond up a little bit. "We're going to leave a black spot on the Akatsuki's history and learn the school rules."

-x-

Sasori was sitting on his desk, holding a booklet of the school rules in his hand while Deidara was walking around aimlessly in the room. Sasori faked a cough, and started reading with mock solemnity. "Rule number one, students are _not_allowed to skip classes without the principal's, nurse's or teacher's permission."

"We'll fake a disease, buy Kakashi a new porn book or get a close-up picture of Tsunade's boobs for Jiraiya and we'll get the permission, if there's ever a need to skip class," Deidara said and motioned for the redhead to continue.

"Rule number two, students are not allowed to leave their dormitory after half past 10 pm without the principal's, nurse's or teacher's permission," Sasori read out and shrugged. "We'll survive."

Deidara looked at him sceptically, "I know _I_will, but will you?"

Sasori smiled reassuringly, "I've got you here, what else do I need?"

"I don't know - _girls?_" Deidara couldn't keep the irritating jealousy out of his voice, crossing his arms and turning away from the redhead, pouting, as he realized how obvious it was in his voice.

Sasori looked at him wide-eyed, before smiling softly. He got up and wrapped his arms around the blonde, planting a single kiss on his neck.

"Deidara Iwaga, I promise to abandon my playboy ways. I'll tie my destiny with yours, and it will remain like that until you choose to untie it yourself." Amazingly, Sasori succeeded in saying the whole thing with a straight face, his voice full of sincerity.

"Sasori Akasuna, I will lay you eight feet underground, should you break your promise," Deidara warned, with the mask of his past on once again, as he turned to face the redhead.

Sasori chuckled and kissed him on his lips, "Sure, babe. But grant my last wish before you kill me and lie beside me."

-x-

Deidara's dream world was pierced by Andy Biersack's screaming, the beginning of "Perfect weapon". Deidara tried to muffle the sound with his pillow, and relaxed a little when the guitar solo began. Unfortunately, the song got louder and louder, the most annoying effect of his cell's alarm clock, although quite effective.

"Sasori, shut that damn thing off!" the blond mumbled into the sheets but got no response. "Sasori..." Deidara whined, moving his leg, hoping to hit the redhead lying next to him, but found the space empty. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was lying on the lower bunk alone and there was no sign of the redhead.

Deidara took his cell and shut it off, eyes still scanning the empty room. His gaze shifted to his mobile's screen. _Tuesday, November 8, 7:00. Sasori's birthday,_Deidara recalled in an instant.

He started to step out of the bed, but noticed a large box lying on the floor with a note on it. He picked up the note suspiciously, mentally preparing himself for the worst.

_Morning Dei-babe_

_This is my second wish - you will wear the clothes inside the box until midnight, when my birthday's over._

_No need to thank me, I know this present is far better than any of the ideas you might've had._

_I left early to glue my broken heart back together for not being woken up with a birthday song. And to give you time to prepare._

_French kisses,_

_Sasori_

Without even looking inside the box, Deidara rushed to his drawer, only to find it empty of clothes. He then went to his roommate's drawer and found a sticky note.

_Nice try, love_

Deidara groaned. The only clothes left in the room were the boxers he was wearing and the clothes in the box. Cautiously, as if afraid the box might bite him, Deidara stepped closer and opened it.

He had to gasp for air in order to not suffocate. On the top, there were fishnet stockings and a short black checkered skirt with a spiked belt. Under them he found a tight black sleeveless shirt and a leather jacket that was long enough to only cover his chest. At the bottom of the box, there were high platform boots and a spiked choker. _When this day is over, I'll send them to my sister,_Deidara thought numbly. _She'll love them._

At first, Deidara thought about only wearing the shirt and skirt to run to Pein's room and borrow some clothes. But then he thought it over. If he was already going to make a fool of himself, why not be throughout? Sasori's goal was probably to make him embarrassed, what would be better than to make him fail? In a second, Deidara was full of confidence.

He grabbed the clothes and put them on, before going to take a look in the mirror. He took his comb and did his hair, leaving it down. He dug out his make-up bag from the depths of his bag. (Don't judge him, sometimes it was essential for a disguise.) Deidara had, uhm, natural talent for presenting himself as a girl. You wouldn't believe how many advantages it had given him throughout the years.

He used a black crayon to create panda eyes, putting no make-up on his lips. He hated lipsticks. After one last glance in the mirror, he grabbed his cell phone and took a picture of himself, sending it to his sister.

_What do u think?_

After a minute, he already got a reply.

_Perfect. Just like old days. _

Deidara smiled and put his mobile away. That was all he needed to know.

-x-

Sasori was sitting in the classroom, a broad smile of content on his face. From time to time, he'd chuckle lowly, making Pein give him a weird look. If you asked the pierced teen, having a permanent boyfriend was playing tricks on the younger redhead's mind.

Sasori kept his thoughts to himself, choosing not to share them with his friend. The blonde had missed breakfast, making Sasori a little worried if the alarm clock had been enough. He pushed the thought aside with ease; there was no way his Dei hadn't woken up to that. The only thing to do now was to wait.

"YO SASORI!" he heard Kakuzu yell in the doorway, all the older Akatsuki members right behind him, except for Zetsu and Tobi, who, as we know, were in a different school.

"CATCH, MOTHERFUCKER!" Hidan yelled, throwing something against the redhead's head. Sasori rubbed his forehead, before picking the wrapped present off the ground.

"Thanks," he laughed and placed the box on the corner of his desk.

"Happy birthday, shortie!" Kakuzu said.

"Where's blondie?" Itachi asked, looking around in the classroom.

"He'll be here," Sasori said smugly, mentally correcting the "he" to a "she".

"Ok, so until he _and_the teacher get here, we'll eat cake," Kisame said, appearing from nowhere, holding a cake with a candle in the shape of "17" burning on it. He placed it on the desk in front of the redhead.

"Make a wish birthday-boy," Pein said from behind him.

"DON'T EVEN FUCKING THINK ABOUT WISHING TO EAT THE DAMN WHOLE CAKE YOURSELF, FUCKER, SINCE THAT'S NOT GOING TO FUCKING HAPPEN."

Sasori turned around to face Hidan, smiling widely. "Damn, Hidan, what else could I wish for?" he asked jokingly.

"Better looks," Pein replied, laughing together with the other members.

"Thanks, man, thanks," Sasori said with a sarcastic smile. "Appreciate it, bro."

"Or you could-," Pein started to say, but shut up in the mid-sentence, his eyes glued to something in the doorway.

Everyone turned in the way he was looking, only to mirror his actions. Sasori was the last one to turn, and what he saw made his heart skip a beat.

Right there, in the doorway, was standing the sexiest blonde chick he'd ever seen, looking down on the ground. She raised her gaze and her blue eyes met Sasori's. The redhead couldn't blink or turn away, as the girl stepped gracefully forwards, everybody in her way, including the Akatsuki, letting her pass.

She walked right up to Sasori, sitting onto his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. The blonde kissed the boy on the cheek, whispering against the skin in a feminine voice, "Happy birthday, Sasori."

"D-deidara?" Sasori stuttered, not believing what he was seeing and hearing. Even a doctor wouldn't have been able to tell that the voice didn't belong to a female. The clothes the blond was wearing were the only things to give him away. Of course, that little detail didn't apply to any other student in the classroom, since there was no way for them to know about Sasori's wish. In their eyes, there was another hot blonde in the school, who was, most definitely, a girl. A little flat, yes, although you couldn't quite tell due to the jacket. But she _was_wearing a skirt and that said it all.

The ones close enough to hear what Sasori'd just said ended up being even more shocked than before.

"No way," Itachi mumbled.

On the inside, Deidara was rolling on the floor and laughing, seeing all the frozen expressions around him. Who would've thought this could end up being so much fun? But, like a pro actor, he kept it inside of him, not letting it ruin his show.

She, I mean, he cocked his head to one side, looking at the candle on the cake.

"17?" he asked in the feminine voice, having far too much fun to stop his act now. "I thought you were going on 18."

What he said was true, not only part of the play. He remembered clearly Sakura telling him the redhead was already 17. Deidara frowned on the inside, not letting it show on his perfect mask. Next time he was going to check the facts like he used to before believing anyone.

The bell rang, making all the frozen students jump. Kakashi walked into the classroom, without taking his eyes off his book.

"Seniors, out. Take the cake with you, the celebrations will continue after class. Akasuna, let go of the new student," he ordered, stopping behind his desk.

Sasori didn't even try to hold back a chuckle as Deidara stood up. The redhead held his hand out so it brushed against his blond's ass as he sat down. This was going to be the best birthday so far.

-x-

"Tell me, Dei-baby, this surely isn't your first time dressing like this, right?" Sasori was sitting in a beanbag in the buffet, the blond on his lap, leaning against him. It was lunch time, an hour of free time they decided to spend on the basement floor.

The blond chuckled in his own voice. "What gave me away?"

"Well, firstly, if this was your first time wearing a skirt, you'd keep pulling at it and tugging it down, afraid your ass might show," Sasori explained, letting his fingers run through the blond's hair. "What I don't get is how you're so graceful on those platforms."

Deidara laughed, making the redhead even more curious. "That's another story."

"Tell me."

"I've worked as a female model," Deidara replied shortly.

The redhead froze, even his hand stopped playing with the soft hair. There was a long silence.

"Ok, Dei, be serious now," Sasori said, letting his hand move again.

Deidara kept the laughter out of his voice as he answered. "I am serious. Dead serious."

"Then... explain."

"Me and my sister needed money and our parents didn't agree to increase our allowances, so we had to find another way. We took part in a couple of contests and, before we knew it, we were posing in front of the cameras. I started out as a male model, until some guy in leather pants stepped into the room and said he wanted me in a dress to pose right then.

"He must've been important, since everybody dropped everything they had been doing to obey his orders. Designers love flat chested girls as models, and since I can easily look like one, I was perfect. Many costumes I wore included high heels in which I had to walk flawlessly on stage. So, there's your answer."

"Will you ever stop surprising me with your past?" Sasori asked jokingly and they both laughed.

"You don't even know the half of it yet," Deidara mused.

"Will you ever tell me?" Sasori whispered, planting soft kisses on the blond's neck.

"Mm... yes," Deidara replied, cocking his head more to his side to reveal more skin, but stopped suddenly and snapped it back, hitting it against Sasori's. "No PDA outside of the dorms, remember?"

Sasori rubbed his head dizzily. "What? Oh yeah, the school rules. Fuck."

"We've got enough time in our room, when the classes are over," the blond whispered and stood up, pulling the redhead up as well.

"I never knew you could be so seductive," Sasori teased as they started walking towards their next class. Deidara looked at him, rolling his eyes. "But then again, there's a lot I don't know."

* * *

_To be continued..._


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

"_Take everything from the inside and throw it all away..."_

The voice singing seemed so far away and Deidara preferred it that way. Without opening his eyes, he grabbed the nearest cloth he could reach and pressed it against his ear to muffle the sound even more. The voice started to fade away; he loosened his grip around the cloth, feeling his energy slowly drain away. There was no way he was waking up now. He exhaled slowly and went back under again.

"_...and throw it all away..."_

Deidara had no idea how long it had been since the last time he had woken up to that sound. It only seemed like 5 minutes. He stretched his arms a little, before relaxing and rolling over to the other side. He planned on falling asleep again, but this time the voice was a lot harder to ignore, since it seemed to be far closer than it had been before. It was like the sound was having its revenge for being ignored earlier by not letting the blond fall asleep again - if that made any sense, really.

Annoyed, Deidara stretched his hand out in the direction of the voice, but couldn't reach it. Growling, he rolled over onto his stomach and took his cell. Without thinking about it, he pressed the call button and brought the device to his ear.

"Hello?" he mumbled indistinctly, his voice hoarse.

"_Deidara, where the fuck are you two?"_a voice in the phone hissed angrily.

"Ah? Two...?" Deidara asked, still half-asleep, not catching on. But the voice did make him wake up a little more. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, trying to pay closer attention. "Who are you?"

"_It's Pein. Sasori's not picking up his cell and I had to call you at least ten times before you did. Where are you?"_

Deidara looked around dizzily, his vision slightly blurred. All he could see from the position he was in were red walls. The sudden realization that he didn't recognize the room hit him, but wasn't able to sink in enough to make him understand the seriousness of the situation. "Definitely not our dorm room," he muttered.

"_Oh, stop kidding. Really?"_Pein retorted sarcastically. "_For your information, you're not in the school either, blondie."_

"Well, I don't know where we are!" Deidara yelled angrily and sat up, definitely awake. He became frustrated. Why was Pein yelling at him? He had done nothing wrong. He glared at the sleeping redhead next to him. _Why wasn't he the one being yelled at?_

He heard Pein sigh. _"At least you're awake now. The class starts in 15 minutes. Better find out where you are and get back quickly."_And the line went dead.

Deidara stared at the device until the screen went blank, absorbing what he'd just heard. Without thinking about it, he clicked on a button to unlock the screen and keys. _8:01, Wednesday_

That was when the reality hit him, kicking him completely out of the trance. He turned his head in a rush to look at the redhead lying next to him under the covers, fast asleep.

"_WAKE UP! WAKE UP, DAMNIT!"_Deidara yelled, shaking Sasori fiercely. "WAKE UP AND CALL 911! THE FBI! NCIS! NASA! SHERLOCK HOMES! WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!"

"Mm... keep it down, Dei. I want to sleep," Sasori mumbled, turning to his other side. Judging by his face, if it had been up to him, he would've woken up after 4 pm. Unfortunately for him, no one really asked for his opinion on this.

"SINCE WHEN DO _YOU_SLEEP? GET. The fuck. UP!" With that, Deidara pushed the older male out of the bed and onto the floor. He bent over to look at the awoken redhead, but jumped back instantly and blushed when he realized the boy was naked.

"That hurt, Dei," Sasori mumbled, not moving a muscle.

"Why the fuck are you naked?" The blond shouted, crossed his arms in shock and glanced at himself. "Why the fuck am _I_naked?"

"Turn the volume down a little, you're gonna wake up the dead." Sasori stood up, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Now, how did we get here?" he asked, glancing around himself.

They both looked around in the room. Both the walls and the carpet were red, while the king-sized bed in the middle of the room was entirely black. Someone must've felt very creative while designing this room. There were clothes that they both recognized lying on the ground.

"We're under the mall," Sasori said starting to get dressed together with the blond, who groaned after seeing the clothes he had worn for Sasori's second wish.

"Huh? Where?" Deidara asked, already fully-dressed, grabbing his cell.

"In one of the bedrooms in the mall's basement. Remember, where I took you with the others as my first wish?"

Deidara rolled his eyes while dialling. Like he'd ever forget. He pressed the call button and felt a little relieved when they picked up after the first ring.

"_Everyday Taxi. Where can we pick you up?"_

"Code Iwaga733, in front of Solaris," he said and ended the call. (The mall was called Solaris.) Without bothering to explain himself, Deidara pushed the redhead, who was still zipping up his pants, out of the door, yelling at him to show the way out.

They ran through a corridor which led to the same entertainment room they had been a week ago. The lights were dim and there were drunken people sleeping on the chairs and the counters. Sasori pushed the exit door open and they ran up the stairs to the first floor and out of the mall. To the redhead's surprise, a taxi was already waiting, although it had been less than 2 minutes since Deidara had called.

They jumped in, not even bothering to fasten their seatbelts, the blond yelling at the driver, "Hidden High School, step on it and add the speeding tickets to my bill."

The Asian driver, obviously taken aback by the blond's demanding tone and threatening eyes, did like he was told, making the engine almost cry out loud.

They reached the building in a record time, both boys rushing out of the car without paying. They ran into the classroom, sitting down the exact moment the bell rang. Both males were panting when Pein passed them their books. _Thank you, Pein._

"Thanks," Deidara whispered. Pein gave a small nod and shifted his gaze to the teacher who had stepped into the classroom. Eyes on the book, Kakashi walked to his desk, before turning to look at the students. His eyes stopped at Deidara and he raised his eyebrows.

"Rough night, Iwaga?"

Deidara made an expression that was somewhere between a sarcastic smile and I-will-stick-my-tongue-at-you. Then the image of him and Sasori being naked in the same bed flashed in his mind and he cast his gaze down, blushing.

The thing was that he couldn't remember anything that had happened _before_that.

"What the fuck happened yesterday?" Deidara asked, looking into the bathroom's mirror, Sasori leaning onto the sink next to him. The blond's hair was, to put it nicely, a mess. Even with the black eye shadow on, you could tell by his face he hadn't gotten much sleep last night. There were bruises that looked a lot like hickeys on his neck and shoulders. On top of all that, although he prayed it was only his imagination, he could've sworn his ass was a little sore.

He had grabbed his make-up bag from their room and was now brushing his hair, going to fix the eye shadow right after that. He put on some powder on his neck to cover the hickeys, although they still stayed visible, only less noticeable, and covered the ones on his shoulders with his jacket.

"Damn, I've never been so drunk before in my life," Sasori muttered, pressing his face against the cold glass of the mirror, moaning.

"That makes two of us," Deidara growled. "This is the first time I'm totally _clueless_of what happened last night."

There was a minute's silence as Deidara finished fixing his make-up and put the comb and eye shadow into his bag, zipping it closed. He looked at the pale Sasori, his face growing a little worried as he caressed the redhead's forehead. It was covered in cold sweat.

"Dei... da... ra...," the older male breathed. "How come the driver didn't even try to stop us from running out without paying?"

The blond smiled a little as he looked at his roommate, a soft glow sparkling in his eyes.

"Do you really think I used to have my wallet with me _every_time I needed a lift? A little troublesome, don't you think? Every time we moved to another country, I signed an agreement with a local taxi company. When I called, I only needed to say the code and the place I wanted them to pick me up at, and they'd be there in 2 to 4 minutes and just send me a bill afterwards, instead of demanding cash right after the ride. Of course the prices were a little higher thanks to that, but that was their gain."

There was silence after Deidara was done explaining. Sasori just kept staring into his eyes, not even taken aback anymore, as the blond ran his hand through his red hair.

"You can't even drive a taxi like the normal people do, can you?" the older male teased him.

Deidara laughed and planted a kiss on his lips, grabbing Sasori's hand to pull him out of the bathroom, but the redhead didn't move. Staying on the same spot, he put his hand on the back of the blond's head, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss. Deidara gasped a little, when he felt the older male's tongue enter his mouth. Sasori kept the kiss short, pulling away way too soon for both of them.

"Did I make those marks?" he asked quietly, running his finger along the bruises on the blond's neck.

"I seriously hope it was you," Deidara whispered and smiled, although there was slight edginess in his voice that didn't go unnoticed by the redhead. "We need to get... to class," he said.

Sasori gave a small smile and nodded, taking his hand.

-x-

The beginning of December. Snow was already covering the ground and the nights had grown a lot longer and darker than they had been a month ago. The temperatures outside were well below zero, giving hell to anyone who dared to go outside without wearing their granny's knitted sweater. Kakuzu knew better; he had been thrown out of the second floor's window into the snow, wearing only his boxers, during one of the fights he'd had with Hidan.

Deidara's cast had been taken off and he had kind of gotten used to thinking of the members of the Akatsuki as his friends. He couldn't say he trusted all of them completely yet, some more than others, but they could be considered his good companions.

Of course none of that went for Sasori. Sasori was just... Sasori. Although the blond had never thought it possible, every time he was near the redhead, he felt like he'd willingly trust his life with him. Or maybe it wasn't even trust. Maybe he had finally understood what Sasori had meant by saying _'I actually think I'd enjoy falling if it was because of you'_. He just couldn't care enough about his own life when it came down to the redhead, no matter how irrational it may have sounded.

Speaking of our beloved and cherished couple, many different rumours were still going round the school about them. Like that was surprising. The students could still be divided into two groups – friends and not friends, the latter group also known as people who just seemed to blend in with the wall for Deidara when he passed them. He had been on the cover page of the school paper for about a month now, the headlines being sentences like "The Akatsuki has a new member?", "A rebel or a slut?", "ORDER PICTURES OF DEIDARA AND SASORI KISSING FOR ONLY 7999 YENS!" etc.

As for the unforgettable forgotten night all those weeks ago on Sasori's birthday, the couple had never found out what had really happened. They had asked the other Akatsuki members, who claimed they had seen them leaving the school after dinner and hadn't bothered to ask where they were going. Even though there was a silent agreement between Sasori and Deidara not to talk about it, some thoughts just wouldn't leave the blond alone.

_Was this one of those rare situations where things are like they seem? Had they really just gone to the club under the mall, gotten drunk and ended up in bed?_Deidara wasn't exactly bothered about that scenario, but the thought that he could never be 100 percent sure didn't leave him alone.

"What are you thinking about, Dei?" Sasori asked, playing with the his long hair. They were sitting in their dorm room, preferring it to any other place in the school, only because there weren't many rules they could've broken in there.

Deidara looked up and shook his head, not wanting to share his thoughts with the redhead. "Oh, nothing."

Sasori, not wanting to pry, decided to change the topic. "What are you going do during the winter break?"

"I thought about staying here," Deidara mused, when he felt the redhead letting his ponytail slip between his fingers.

"Dei, the school is closed during holidays," Sasori stated, looking surprised at the fact that the blond wasn't aware of that.

"What?" Deidara exclaimed. "There was nothing written about it in the school rules! I _read them!"_

"It is kind of obvious," the redhead muttered, going back to playing with the blond's hair.

"I thought it was like in Harry Potter and everybody could stay here during the winter break," the younger male pouted slightly. "Oh well, guess I'll stay in a hotel."

Sasori looked confused, his expression demanding for an explanation.

"My parents are overseas and since they thought I could stay here, they rented our house out," Deidara said and smiled. "But that's okay, I love hotels."

Sasori shook his head in disapproval and thought for a moment. "Would you like to stay at my place?"

The blond looked taken aback by the offer, frowning a little. "I wouldn't want to be a bother for your family, especially on Christmas. That holiday is family time." As far as he was concerned, anyway.

Sasori burst out laughing, making the younger male feel like he was missing an inside joke.

"Try telling that to _my_parents. Our house is _full_of guests on Christmas Eve, half of them being our relatives, the other half not even related to us. Fortunately we have a big house, otherwise I'm not sure how we'd survive Christmas. Frankly, I'd be very happy if you came. With you staying in my room, I'd have a good excuse for not letting any of those drunkards sleep in my bed."

Deidara burst out laughing as well so hard a tear fell from the corner of his eye. "Okay, then it's settled."

Sasori clapped his hands childishly, acting not like him at all, and kissed Deidara on his lips, something that was more like him.

The blond managed to lean on his hands, when Sasori came closer, but he soon fell on his back. The satisfied smirk on the redhead's face showed clearly that he had planned this to happen all along.

He bent closer, letting the blond wrap his hands around his neck as he slipped his tongue into the blond's mouth. Deidara moved his lips together with Sasori's, enjoying the feeling of the other's tongue exploring his mouth so thoroughly. He let the redhead rub his tongue against his own, and groaned in disapproval when the redhead pulled away for air.

Sasori smirked and started to plant kisses on the blond's neck, making him moan at the soft touches. Just before Sasori was about to reach the collarbone, they heard a single knock on the door, before it was opened, Pein stepping inside.

"Dude, you're doing it wrong," Sasori complained, not bothering to leave the position he was in, ending up talking against Deidara's skin. "You knock, then you _wait_for permission to enter, and _then_you come in, ruining some sweet moments."

Pein grinned and rolled his eyes at the other redhead. "Tsunade wants everyone in the school auditorium."

"What for?" Deidara asked curiously, trying to sit up, and glaring at the chuckling redhead who made it impossible. That guy was a lot heavier than he looked.

The other redhead in the doorway just shrugged, turning to go. "Probably wants to talk about the winter festival," he guessed, before closing the door after him.

"You guys have festivals here?" the blond asked sceptically, motioning for Sasori to get off.

The older male stood up, pulling the blond up with him as well. "Yeah, and they're always _tons_of _fun,"_Sasori said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Deidara laughed as they went out of the room, taking the redhead's hand. "This I gotta see."

Tsunade faked a cough in front of the whole auditorium, trying to get the students' attention. Deidara and Sasori were about the only ones who had even noticed she was there, since everybody else kept chatting, probably having forgotten what they were doing in that room anyway.

Seeing as no one paid any attention to her, Tsunade picked up a megaphone from the floor and set it in front of the microphone, before pressing the red button on it. A nerve wracking sound pierced through the auditorium, making everyone shut up and cover their ears.

Fully satisfied with the result, Tsunade took her finger off the button and smiled. "Hello, students. I know you don't want to listen to me and you know I don't want to waste my time here standing in front of you, so let's get this over with, shall we?"

"_How the hell did she get to be the principal?"_Deidara whispered to Sasori, making the redhead chuckle.

"As most of you know, the winter festival's organized by the student council," she continued as Deidara whispered again, "_We have a student council?"_

"The schedule of the events will be up in a few days. And like every year, there'll be a prom this year as well." There were a few cheers in the crowd, but they were outweighed by loud groans. "Formal clothing is compulsory."

With that said, Tsunade left the room, ignoring all the shouts, complaints and groans, slyly grinning to herself. As soon as the door closed after her, the students went streaming out of the exits, pushing and bumping into each other so fiercely, Sasori had to grab Deidara's hand in order not to get lost.

"Me? In a suit? You've got to be kidding!" the blond exclaimed after they'd gotten back to their room.

Sneaking up from behind, Sasori wrapped his arms around him, kissing his neck as if hinting he'd like to continue from where they had left off before. "I can order another dress, if you'd like," he muttered against the blond's skin, sending shivers down the younger male's spine.

"Yes, I'd like that," Deidara said, grinning. _Who would've thought._

* * *

_To be continued..._


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

"What about this one?" Sasori asked, clicking on another picture of a ball dress, showing it to the blond sitting on his lap.

Deidara shook his head. "This one emphasizes boobs too much and I have none, so it wouldn't look good." The younger male was clearly speaking from his own personal experience.

Sasori chuckled a little and closed the picture, scanning the website to find another one to his liking. "Tell me something, Dei-baby, what did your parents think of all the craziness you and your sister got yourselves into?"

Deidara stilled momentarily, but managed to shrug and brush it off before the other could take notice. "My parents are anarchists. They made it clear when we were still 9 that if we wanted to get ourselves into some 'serious' stuff, then we'd better learn how to get ourselves out of it, since they wouldn't be there to help us. A little harsh, but definitely true. And, in their opinion at least, we could've turned out a lot worse."

"Describe 'a lot worse'."

"For example, we could've been late for dinners," Deidara said and they both laughed.

"Okay, what do you think of this one?" Sasori asked, opening a new picture to change the subject.

Deidara eyed it for a moment, checking all the critical parts of the dress and then nodded. "I want this one," he said and turned to look at the redhead who was smiling.

"Then this is the one you will get," the older male replied and kissed him on the lips.

-x-

"Alright students, we will have our 6 mile marathon today," Might Guy shouted so that the whole class could hear. Since it had been announced that the juniors would have their annual marathon, they were on the verge of a close-by forest, most of the students just daydreaming or gazing up at the clouds instead of listening to the teacher.

To Deidara's surprise and relief, there were no mosquitoes. Overall, he was in a very good mood. Running had always been one of his most favourite and strongest sides. Even though he wasn't that good at running short distances, any distance longer than 400 metres was a piece of cake for him. Or a piece of a very enjoyable explosion.

"You will all go one by one with 1 minute gaps. The first one will go, then after 60 seconds the second one will go and so on. Understand, right?" Guy looked around with that dazzling smile of his, letting his eyes run over the bored faces of his students. "Alright! Get ready! Gaara, you're the first one." Might Guy was the only adult in the school, besides the nurse, who called his students by their first names from time to time.

The redhead stumbled to the start line with a bored attitude, giving the impression like he was about to fall asleep any second. The teacher took out his stopwatch and raised his hand.

"Ready... Steady... GO!" With the last word he let his hand down, giving Gaara the signal to start running. The redhead looked at his teacher for about 5 seconds with an expression that asked mockingly if he was serious, before he started walking. Guy looked after the student who kept moving without a rush, hands in his pockets like he had all the time in the world.

The teacher glanced at his stopwatch and then gave his student the usual good-luck-thumbs-up gesture. "I know you can do it! I believe in you! In all of you!" He turned to look at the rest of the teens, who looked like they had just realized they were taught by a complete moron. "So, who wants to go next?"

Slowly, the line of students was beginning to decrease. Deidara kept wondering in the middle of the row, why the hell wasn't he one of the first when Sasori, on the other hand, was already running. By the time he'd decided the government was to blame, it was already his turn.

"Ready... Steady... GO!" He heard his teacher yell when he pushed himself forwards off the ground, not a second too early, not a nanosecond too late. Naruto behind him was coughing when he inhaled the dust Deidara had kicked off the ground.

The blond smiled to himself as he dashed along the gravel road, passing many students that had come before him. Sakura and Ino were walking, talking and laughing and waved when the boy passed them. Deidara smiled and waved back, then returning his focus to the road.

Unfortunately, speed had never done a very good job at occupying his mind, leaving his thoughts to wander around randomly. At some point, he found himself wondering about the pros and cons of nylon guitar strings, which was as random as you could get, given the circumstances.

He noticed that there was no one on the horizon, which left him wondering if he had already passed everyone. No, it couldn't have been. He hadn't seen Sasori yet. Had the redhead really bothered to actually _run?_Deidara was cut off on that thought by a hand reaching out from the bushes to grab him. The blond would've dodged it, had he not recognized the arm instantly by the tiny, almost invisible scar on the palm. It was obvious he remembered it, since he was the one who had made it after all.

He let himself be dragged into the bushes and pinned against a tree, smiling a little when he was caught in a hungry kiss.

"Sasori..." he mumbled against the redhead's lips, feeling a hand slide down to his butt. "You're ruining my spotless record, bastard."

Sasori chuckled lowly. "You can let me make it up to you afterwards," he whispered before slipping his tongue into the blond's mouth, exploring the area and making the younger teen moan a little. Deidara wrapped his one hand around the older male's neck, while letting the other just hang there with nothing to grab onto. For a moment, he felt like sinking his teeth into the tongue, just for fun and to see what'd happen, but thought better of it. Poor Sasori never knew he was willingly wrapping himself around a demon. Or maybe he did.

Deidara felt all the adrenaline rising in his veins as their tongues mingled and rubbed against each other, sending shivers down their bodies. Sasori broke the kiss for air, but continued tracing his lips down the blonde's chin and onto his neck. Biting and sucking the skin softly as the blond cocked his head to one side, letting out small moans that made the moment even more perfect.

"Sasori..." Deidara whispered, sliding his hand beneath the neckline of the redhead's shirt. "I know you want something."

The older male chuckled softly against the neck, tracing his lips back to meet the blond's. "You're right as always, babe."

Deidara chuckled back, moving his lips together with Sasori's. "I know I am." The last two words accidentally came out as a moan.

"Could use someone to take care of me," Sasori whispered into the blond's mouth, feeling the younger male's free hand tracing to his hips.

"You mean down here...?" Deidara broke the kiss and smiled deviously as his fingers started to play with the zipper of the redhead's pants. Sasori watched amusedly the blond licking his lips teasingly, having a face like he was seriously considering his options. It was incredible how nothing in this world could be taken the innocent way anymore. You want me to take care of you and hug you? No, it's obvious I'm begging for a blowjob, moron.

Slowly, Deidara squatted, undoing the zipper in a slow motion. He didn't even bother to ask how come the redhead was allowed to attend PE in jeans. Who cared? He slid down the boxers a little as well, revealing Sasori's dixk. Before taking the whole thing into his mouth, he let his tongue run over the base and gave it a little suck, and looked up to see the redhead's face that was begging for more. Deidara's gaze stayed there, observing the older male's expression, while he continued sucking, every time taking a little more into his mouth.

Making Sasori close his eyes in pleasure, Deidara started humming, adding the vibration to each suck. The redhead started to moan and whisper some slurred words, whilst the younger male continued with his indistinct melody, trying not to go off-tone while providing the other the time of his life. Deidara sensed Sasori's muscles tense, right before he came into his mouth. The blond gave it one final suck, before he swallowing and removing the dick from his mouth.

Deidara zipped the pants closed again and stood up, looking at the redhead with a sly grin. "You're in a huge debt, you know that, hun?"

Sasori kissed him on the lips once more, before opening his mouth for words. "Tell me how I can start repaying."

"For starters," Deidara said, wrapping his arms around the other's neck. "You can carry me to the finish line."

Sasori chuckled and picked the blond up bridal style. "Your wish is my command."

Deidara snuggled his face into the redhead's chest, feeling more than comfortable in the position he was in. He breathed in the older teen's scent, not a bit surprised that he wasn't sweaty. Who would break a sweat in Might Guy's classes? He closed his eyes, humming "Just Tonight" while enjoying the little swaying caused by the walking. He heard the rustling of the leaves and that was what made him cock his head to his other side and look around.

"Where are we going?" Deidara asked, seeing as they weren't walking along the gravel road anymore, but were moving deeper into the forest. The ground was covered in yellow and red leaves, some of them already starting to rotten. There was hardly any empty space on the ground where the grass could've been seen.

"I'm taking a shortcut," Sasori said, tightening his grip around the blond a little.

"Cheater," Deidara mumbled, burying his face into the older male's chest once again. He hooked his hand onto the red cotton fabric, using it to cover his eyes from the sunrays that had begun to annoy him. The comfortable feeling of being held by someone got the better of his usual attitude and for once in his life he felt like a child. Not because he was acting immature or stubborn, but for the thought that he could let someone else take care of him, look after him, instead of always having to be on his guard to make sure that no one backstabbed him.

Deidara had never thought he could long for a feeling like that, only because he had never got to taste it. He and his sister had always got each other backs, but there had been no depending on the other. It had been one for all and all for one, similar to the present, but somehow still different. Overall, they had been siblings, not lovers, and that meant different rules and circumstances. But the present, it was like a sweet dream that he didn't want to end. Ever.

Deidara wasn't sure when exactly he had fallen asleep, but he was woken up by a raindrop landing on his arm. He snuggled even more into the comfy T-shirt, and frowned when another raindrop landed on his head. He moved his head a little and looked around before turning to look at the redhead.

"Morning, Dei-baby," Sasori said, smiling softly. "We'll reach school approximately in 10 minutes."

Deidara frowned a little, seeming confused. "What about PE?" he inquired.

Sasori chuckled a little before replying. "It will be pelting down soon enough and there'll be no one waiting for us on the finish line then."

The blond nodded and wrapped his arms around the older male. Sasori made a surprised face and looked down into Deidara's eyes. For only a mere second, he thought he caught a hint of shyness in the blond's eyes, but then it was replaced by the usual rebellious glint that seemed to be longing for challenges, leaving Sasori wondering, if the shyness had been his mere imagination.

"I like you taking care of me," Deidara said, smirking when the redhead took some time to understand what he'd just said. Once he did, a smile reappeared on his face. It was the first time the blond was letting his softer side show, but he felt like he'd always know it was there. Like he had already seen it a thousand times and more, just forgotten the look of it.

Rain started pouring down when they were less than 500 metres from the school. Even though they made it indoors surprisingly quickly, both of them were soaked to bone once they entered the building. Deidara insisted on Sasori carrying him to their room, and laughed when the redhead had trouble unlocking their door while holding the younger male in his arms. Having mercy on the redhead, Deidara slid his hand into Sasori's pocket and took the key, unlocking the door for him.

Sasori went straight to his bed, and put the soaked blond down on the sheets, going to close the door after him.

"You're strong, Sasori," he heard Deidara say, before he turned to look at him. The redhead smirked and went back to the bed, bending over the younger male.

"And you're spoiled," Sasori replied, although he was well aware of how wrong his statement was. He crawled onto the bed, lying beside Deidara and letting the blond rest his head on his chest. The blond ran his finger across the older male's stomach, drawing circles on the wet shirt, when Sasori started to play with his hair.

"_Would you mind if I hurt you... Understand that I need to..."_Deidara began to sing quietly, tracing his finger to the redhead's shoulder and down to the palm.

"What song is it?" Sasori asked, running his hand through the long soft hair.

"You don't know it?" Deidara asked, surprised. "Finally a song that I like and you don't know! You're beaten, my love," The blond cheered and laughed victoriously, not noticing that it was the first time he'd referred to Sasori as 'his love'.

"No, I think I know it. Sing it again," the redhead mused, not willing to admit his defeat.

Deidara frowned at his stubbornness, but obeyed nevertheless. "_Would you mind if I hurt you... Understand that I need to..."_

Sasori replayed the melody in his head, quietly humming it out loud as well. He was positive he knew the song, but if only he could've remembered the chorus, he would've recalled it instantly. After a minute of humming, he remembered the original voice singing it and that was when it all came back to him.

"Yeah, I know the song," he laughed smugly, sensing the irritation level in Deidara rise, although it was half-hearted.

"You're just saying it, so I wouldn't be able to defeat you," the blond pouted, drawing a sad face on Sasori's stomach.

"Dei-baby, that hurt. Would I do that?" the redhead asked in a mockingly shocked voice, taking the hand on his stomach and filling the spaces between its fingers with his own.

"If you know the song continue from where I left off," the blond muttered quietly, looking at their linked hands.

"Start again and I'll continue."

Deidara sighed and remained quiet for a couple of seconds, before taking a deep breath and singing, "_Would you mind if I hurt you... Understand that I need to..."_

"_Wish that I had other choices... Than to harm the one I love..."_Sasori sang, smiling at the younger male. He waited for a second to make eye contact with the blond, before they both shouted, "_WHAT HAVE YOU DONE NOW?"_

Together they burst out laughing, Deidara willing to admit his defeat this time. He rested his chin on the redhead's chest, still chuckling, when they both heard the school bell ring, announcing the start of the next class.

"Oh shit," Deidara muttered, before standing up in a rush and hitting his head against the upper bunk.

Sasori got out of the bed as well, planting a kiss on the blond's hurt spot, before going to change his clothes. "No need to hurt yourself, love. Change your clothes quickly and we'll be late 5 minutes the most. Considering it will be Kakashi's class, you can take your time."

Deidara laughed and took off his shirt, tossing it to a corner of the room. He loved an atmosphere like this. He loved the easy-goingness, the carefree life he was living, and he loved Sasori. But the word "forever" can often be more than deceiving and, unfortunately, nothing was eternal. That could've been one of Deidara's biggest fears.

_-x-_

_To be continued…_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

* * *

Deidara's eyes were glued to the clock that was ticking away the minutes left until the end of the lesson. No matter how he looked at it, the clock hands were only teasing him by moving as slowly as possible. He kept clicking his pen impatiently without anyone noticing it. He had tried to solve the problems written on the blackboard, but after messing up three times in a row on just one of them, he'd just crossed them out in his notebook. What was the point anyway? He knew he would've been able to solve them, had he been able to concentrate. Which he wasn't.

_Excuse me for not finding a scribble of numbers and dots on a blackboard interesting enough,_he thought sullenly.

"All exercises not completed in the class, will have to be finished for the next class," the teacher said in a voice that only half of the students could hear, even though the class was dead silent.

Deidara snorted at this, a satisfied smirk appearing on his face. It would be no problem for him to copy it off someone else's notebook. Now all he had to do was bear the 10 more minutes left and then it would be over. It was ironic how waiting didn't usually bother him, but during Maths class, he could almost feel his brain cells dying. The only option was to find something else to think about. He didn't have to search for the topic long though, since there had been one thing bothering him for a week now.

_Christmas._

The holiday was looming and he still had no idea to whom and what he should give as presents. Believe it or not, this was his first time to give Christmas presents. In the past, they'd go on a holiday to a warm country with their family and that had solved it. No Christmas tree and no jabber about giving presents. Hell, he didn't even know any Christmas carols.

Spending his first actual Christmas with Sasori was definitely one of the best ways to do it in his opinion, but it required some homework. A lot of homework. It was only recently that he'd truly realized he had no idea what Christmas actually was. Besides the fact that everybody gave each other presents, ate as much as they could and thanked Jesus for something. Something. Christmas had something to do with the Christian bible, right?

The whole thing was giving the blond a headache with all the talk about special feelings he recalled he'd heard and traditions and whatsoever. Letting out an annoyed sigh, he slammed his head against the table and stayed in that position. What made that event so special? Why not celebrate Easter instead? At least then he wouldn't have to worry about what to give people, a chocolate egg or a bunny would do.

_Relax, Dei, relax,_he told himself, feeling a little awkward for calling himself by his nickname. _Sasori won't mind if you mess up. He'll just laugh his ass off. IS THIS SUPPOSED TO ENCOURAGE ME?_

And for once, the voices in his head shut up.

_I have no idea what Christmas is,_Deidara admitted sullenly to himself. Why deny it? His speciality was how to survive on the streets and explosions, that was what he was good at. Family stuff, relationships, relatives, quality time, celebrating holidays with the family were all a complete mystery for him.

_I wonder how sis is doing. Is she having as much trouble as I am?_

This thought made Deidara smile. He couldn't even imagine his sister in a situation like he was in. She having trouble with stuff like this would be ridiculous and impossible. Maybe it was one of those woman instincts that helped her understand how family things worked. For some reason, girls seemed to be better at stuff like this, or maybe it was just him. Blaming his gender for not knowing how to handle Christmas was just... pathetic.

Deidara sighed and raised his head, tearing out a blank sheet from his notebook.

_What do u want for Xmas?_He wrote and passed the note to Sasori. If anyone was going to laugh at him, he preferred it to be him.

Sasori raised his eyebrows at the question as he looked at the paper, before his expression turned back into the casual smirk. He took a pen, scribbled down a reply and handed it back.

_you spending it at my place_

Deidara rolled his eyes and wrote down the next line.

_I meant something I can wrap inside a pretty red wrapping paper with snowmen and gingerbread men on it._

Sasori had to hold back a chuckle as he read the line.

_what do you want?_

Deidara frowned at the reply. It was impolite to answer a question with a question. Especially with a question he didn't know the answer to. What could he possibly want? He had almost everything he wanted and the things he didn't have yet couldn't be given as presents.

_I don't want anything_

Sasori smiled like he'd been expecting that kind of answer.

_you have my answer_

Deidara took the note and mentally translated it to himself – figure it out yourself. Maybe he'd have to give him some women's lingerie for Xmas, so that next time he'd know choosing a present for himself was compulsory.

_We'll go shopping together, k?_

Sasori gave a small nod as a reply. This made the blond feel a little better, but didn't free him from his worries completely. Simultaneously with Deidara's sigh, the bell, announcing the beginning of recess, rang.

-x-

**Two weeks of Xmas**

Monday, 11th Dec – _Cat conference_

Tuesday 12th Dec – _Wishlist for the songs at the dance opens today!_

Wednesday 13th Dec – _Saints' day_

Thursday 14th Dec – ORDINARY SCHOOLDAY (_What? You expected all days to have something fun?)_

Friday 15th Dec – _Cat day_

Sunday 17th Dec – _Deadline__for school presents_

Monday 18th Dec – _Postponed deadline because we know most of you will miss the first one_

Tuesday 19th Dec – _Parents' day_

Wednesday 20th Dec – _DAY OFF!_

Thursday 21th Dec – _School Dance_

Friday 22th Dec – _Present Jump_

Saturday 23th Dec – _Group picture__(no naked girls this year Pein!)__and bye-bye, off you go!_

A small group of students had gathered around the noticeboard on the second floor and were now staring at the new paper that had been put up there recently.

"The fuck is this?" Deidara muttered, his eyes moving along the lines as he read them just like everybody else. He felt a hand on his hip and a pair of lips pressing against his neck, but all he gave as a response was a low mumble about PDA. He caught Sasori's jaw in his hand and brought it up to face the schedule. "Explain, playboy."

"It's the schedule for the next week," Sasori stated the already obvious, his mouth in a smile for the joy of quipping.

Deidara rolled his eyes at him, before letting his eyes to return to the paper. "No way, I thought it was your mum's birthday card. Explain what is a cat conference and what's the cat day about?"

"I have no freaking idea," Sasori mumbled, reading the list himself. "That's the only new thing here though. Everything else is same old, same old."

"What's the saints' day?" The first thing that came to the blond's mind was everything church-related. And then there was Hidan setting a church on fire. Not the worst case scenario, he admitted. As a kid, who had basically grown up on streets, he had never given much thought to religion, but seeing something on fire was definitely appealing to him.

"You will not believe me, even if I told you. But I promise that it's going to be fun AND that we need to go shopping before that." Sasori's chuckling made Deidara even more curious, but he wasn't in the mood to pry. Maybe later.

He kept reading the list over and over, before his eyes stopped on the second Tuesday. "Am I going to meet your parents?" There was definitely a note of hope in his voice as he asked the question, turning his head to look at the redhead.

"I think I should be the one asking this, since you will see mine anyway on Christmas Eve."

"I have no idea whether they're going to come or not," Deidara said, shrugging, his facial expression letting everyone know he didn't care much either. Of course, that could've been only the facade. Some of the crowd began to leave and the couple decided to follow their lead. After all, it was Friday.

Sasori walked down the hallway to the stairs, holding Deidara tightly by his side. The blond's thoughts were randomly wandering around, sometimes making him smile, sometimes frown.

_School's over, it's Friday, time to GET HIGH!_

Deidara halted for a second, not sure where the sentence had come from. Had he thought it himself? Sasori had stopped with him, looking at the blond questioningly while Deidara was looking around as if he was searching something. The noisy silver haired teen running along the hallway seemed to give him that something.

"YO PUPPET FUCKARD! JOIN US, WILL YA?" Hidan shouted, Kakuzu by his side, walking in their direction in his usual hey-I'm-a-bit-drunk manner.

"Take little blondie with you," Kakuzu added, using the nickname that was usually used by the other Akatsuki member. Even if Deidara didn't approve of it, he couldn't deny the truth in it – he was blond and the youngest. Actually, 'little blond' was one of the best nicknames he'd heard yet. At least it was better than 'IS', which stood for 'Insanity Squared' and 'Chick Bomb', which stood for... well, 'Chick Bomb'.

"Where are we going?" Deidara asked, although after receiving certain looks from the others, he realized the question had been unnecessary. _The usual._

They grabbed their jackets and went outside where Kisame, Itachi and Pein with Tenten on one side and a girl Deidara didn't recognize on the other, were already waiting for them. Tobi and Zetsu caught up with them on the way.

Deidara, pressed tightly against Sasori's side, couldn't help but glare at the two chicks with Pein. Both of them were wearing skirts that could hardly qualify as belts, and had more make-up on that than Deidara had seen on a shop shelf. He had seen _a lot._Did guys really dig that? A voice in the blond's head told him that _he_was actually still a guy as well.

_Oh yeah? Well, I think I've proven my point on being gay already._

Doesn't change the fact that you're still a guy, his subconscious countered.

Deidara wanted to snap back, but stopped when he realized he was arguing with himself. The frown line between his eyebrows proved that he'd actually gotten angry. This could have not been good.

_At least you stopped, right?_

_If you were in a separate body, I'd punch you._

_Oh-wow, relax. Take a chill pill. Hehe... I can feel your anger rise. Deidara.. Deidara.. Dei..._

"Dei!" the voice made our blond jump, which, judging by the slippery and icy surface, was definitely not a good idea. Just before he was about to land on his ass, he grabbed the redhead's scarf, pulling him down with him. This activated a chain reaction, as there had been Hidan, Kakuzu, Itachi, Kisame and a group of strangers walking right behind them. Like a car crash, they all bumped into the fallen ones, only to fall down themselves.

Deidara winced at every 'ouch' he heard, looking helplessly at his victims. The final result was about 10 people lying on the ground, glaring at the couple sitting in the front.

"Sorry!" Deidara said and smiled apologetically, giving the crowd the two-finger piece sign.

Sasori stood up and reached out to help his boyfriend stand up as well. With the most angelic and innocent expressions they could manage, they walked away, leaving the complaining crowd behind, before they managed to call the cops.

"You're spacing out, Dei," Sasori commented as they reached the mall and went down the stairs to their usual place.

"Mhm..." the blond mumbled as a response, hoping the other wouldn't ask any further questions. The voices in his head were not his favourite topic.

They sat down behind the bar counter and Sasori ordered them drinks from a lady, whose clothes and look almost spelled MILF. At least for the straight guys. Deidara glanced at her once and never looked back.

After emptying two glasses in a row, Deidara slammed his glass against the counter and observed his and Sasori's being filled with the red liquid again. So much for helping the customers to stop drinking. Right before the redhead was about to take the glass, the younger male snatched it away from him and held it out of his reach.

"What do you want for Christmas?" Deidara asked, looking into the mud-brown eyes without letting them glance away. "Use your imagination." If there was a double-meaning added to the sentence, Deidara definitely didn't notice it himself.

Sasori looked tired as he blinked and tried to concentrate, but gave up soon and shook his head. "I don't know," he said and looked at the blond, smiling, as if waiting for a rebuke.

Deidara sighed and handed him the glass. "Here, drink more then."

Sasori laughed and took it, emptying it in less than 10 seconds. The atmosphere seemed the friendlier the more glasses had been emptied. Deidara felt his eyelids getting heavy, even though, in his opinion at least, he was wide awake.

Sasori stood up, took his hand and dragged him along, away from the counter. Deidara didn't ask where they were going, at that moment it just wasn't important enough. It's almost funny how easy life seems when you're drunk. No wonder alcohol is so popular.

Through the crowd, down the hallway, to the left and the number of people surrounding them finally began to decrease. But there were still too many.

Sasori opened one of the doors in the hall and stepped inside, pulling Deidara in with him and then locking the door after them. The blond's eyes were already closed when he was pinned against the wall, his lips caught in a kiss.

Sasori's hands were on either side of the blond, against the wall, while the younger male leaned against the wall with one hand as well, the other hand, at the same time, running through the soft red hair.

Deidara felt a shiver run down his spine, when the redhead bit his lower lip, asking for the permission he'd always had. They both heard someone ranting outside, but paid no attention to it. Sasori's tongue explored the other's mouth thoroughly, drawing out little moans that sent the blood rushing in the redhead's body. The fresh taste of blood from Deidara's lower lip spread from mouth to mouth, adding even more to the mood.

Sasori wrapped his arm around the blond and pulled him towards the bed. He sat down, then turned around, pushing the younger male into a lying position. Deidara made a pouting face when Sasori disconnected their lips. He opened his eyes and saw the redhead going through the stuff in the wooden cupboard, next to the bed. Deidara didn't get the chance to stare for long, his eyes were covered by a black blindfold.

After meeting the great darkness, the blond smiled his childish smile and extended his hands to find something to grab onto. He soon did, Sasori's shirt, but even that privilege was taken from him once the redhead had found what he'd been looking for.

Deidara felt something furry wrap around his wrist and then bring his hand up to the head of the bed. There was a low _click_and once the blond tried to move, he realized both his hands were chained.

"Master, am I going to be your slave?" the blond asked in an unforced innocent tone.

He heard the older male chuckle and felt his lips pressing against his own. Since his sense of sight had been taken away from him, the other senses became that much stronger, they could've belonged to a superhuman. That's what Deidara's imagination told him.

The extra tongue in his mouth made it a little hard to think, though, as it kept giving him the heaven-like sensation even the God would enjoy. Once Sasori pulled away again, he traced his lips along the jaw line of the blond, before going down to the neck, biting and sucking the skin softly. He would've continued to go even lower, had the collar of the T-shirt not gotten in his way.

Deidara felt the lips leave his skin, giving him the taste of abandonment. He made a face, making sure every inch of his face expressed his unsatisfaction. The whole pouting, however, was washed away by a cold touch he felt on his waist. Something told him it was too cold to be Sasori's hand.

"Master-?" he started to ask, but shut his mouth when he realized the thing against his skin was metallic and sharp. Sasori cut the shirt to two, creating a few more shreds by cutting the sleeves as well. Somewhere deep inside of him, a voice wondered if Deidara had been fond of the shirt, but it was muffled by two litres of alcohol.

With annoying factors out of the way, Sasori could continue from where he had left off, going on sucking one of the nipples. He heard the blond moan softly, his breathing already turning into panting. Guess he was too drunk to miss his shirt as well.

Sasori pulled away and ran a cold finger down Deidara's stomach, straight to the button, which he unbuttoned. The blond threw his head forward, as if to see what was going on. The bad thing was that he couldn't see. The good thing was that he could guess.

He felt cold air brush against his groin as Sasori removed the boxers and brought them down to his ankle. His legs were spread open and a cold wet finger made its way to his entrance, drawing circles around it, but not slipping in. This made Deidara frown and he shook his hands, as if he was hoping to break the chains.

"Sasori, damn it!" he tried to hiss, although it came out more a whine than the threatening sound he had hoped it would be. One of the reasons was probably the fact that he knew he didn't have full control over the situation. Actually, to be more accurate and taking into account his chained hands and the blindfold covering his eyes, he had no bloody control. And yet, this didn't stop him from being arrogant in the least. Alcohol is boldness' best friend.

Sasori smiled, even though the blond couldn't see it, and pushed the finger in, adding the second one right away. The fact that he was drunk didn't change his personality – sober and impatient, drunk and even more impatient. Deidara merely winced, but didn't complain though. The sooner the better.

He let his tensed neck relax and rested his head rest on the pillow. Low moans escaped his lips as he tried to force his breathing to normal. Had his hands been free, he would've muffled them with a pillow, but since the situation was slightly different, he didn't get the chance.

When the third finger entered his body, Deidara couldn't help but gasp. He was no virgin, but he was far from being a professional prostitute. Sasori spread his fingers a little, before thrusting them straight against the blond's prostate. The younger male's reaction confirmed he had nailed it.

"Enough... already!" Deidara managed to get out between the panting, a drop of sweat running down his forehead. Sasori made one more thrust, receiving a heavenly moan from the blond in return, before he removed his fingers, replacing them with his already coated cock.

Without a warning, he slammed in, loving the sound when Deidara screamed his name. He pulled back a little, before repeating the action, quickly building up a rhythm. Beads of sweat broke out all over the blond's body as he tried to move his hips as well, rocking them simultaneously with the redhead. The sensations that went through the teens were so indescribable, even the brain encountered difficulties trying to understand them.

"Sa... so... RI!" Deidara whispered the two syllables, the last one came out as a loud moan. He felt himself getting closer with each thrust, sure enough that Sasori had to feel the same. The redhead's breathing seemed to be racing with time as he kept slamming in harder and harder, hitting the prostate in most cases. Seeing as the blond was going through the same as him, he started pumping, making the younger male's breathing and moans louder even more, if it was possible. He felt the cave he was in tighten as Deidara came all over both of their stomachs.

Sasori gave a few more hard thrusts, before he cummed inside of the blond as well. He pulled out and collapsed on top of the chained male in exhaustion. He pressed his cold lips against Deidara's, forcing his tongue in without even asking for permission. If he'd already topped, a few more dominant actions couldn't hurt. Deidara kissed back as forcefully as he could, his face covered with sweat.

"Love... you... Dei-baby," Sasori panted against the blond's collarbone, after he'd pulled away from the regrettably gorgeous lips.

"You too," Deidara whispered, almost forgetting he was still technically being held captive. Not that he minded, if it was Sasori holding the keys for the chains.

The redhead kept biting and sucking on his collarbone, making sure there was going to be a bruise the next day. Deidara let himself relax under the soft touches, taking everything he could from the moment.

Sasori reached out for the keys lying on the cupboard and unlocked the handcuffs from the bed, but left the blindfold still on. To prevent themselves from getting cold, he pulled the blanket over them, and wrapped his arms around the blond, switching their positions so that the younger male ended up lying on top of him.

"You know what?" Deidara mumbled lowly, seconds before falling asleep. "We should try PDA sometime."

-x-

_To be continued..._


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

* * *

Sasori and Deidara reached the auditorium, where most of the seats were already taken. Luckily, Kisame had saved two for them next to him. They hurried there to sit down, before Tsunade entered the room. She looked like she was walking in a dream, obviously having missed her morning coffee. It was 7:15 AM after all.

She stumbled up to the microphone and switched it on, tapping on it for a quick sound check.

"Good morning students," she said, her voice hoarse, like she was sick and she had to cough. "This week… ehh… ahem. Hey, can I get a coffee here?" she demanded and looked at the first row, where teachers were sitting.

Her eyes stopped at Might Guy, who flinched and quickly offered her his cup. Tsunade thanked him in a low voice, coughed again, drank the coffee, handed the cup back and continued in a much livelier voice.

"So, these two weeks are going to be Xmas weeks, like you probably already know. To explain some activities, I initiated the _Cat conference._To start with, on Wednesday, there's the Saints' day. To all new students, who don't know what it's all about, listen to me now. On that day it's forbidden to cuss, swear and yell. PDA is strictly forbidden as well. Those who break those rules will have a _special punishment"__ - _was that an evil smirk on her face? – "on Cat day, that's on Friday. So you better avoid cussing, since Christmas is coming soon and Santa may hear you." She winked.

There was laughter in the auditorium.

"Now, school presents," she continued. "It's required that everyone buys a Christmas present and hands it in _on time. _All the presents will be used on 22th, when the present jump will take place. To those who're new, it will be a surprise. So, what else… Oh, yes. The student council wanted me to remind you that formal clothes _are compulsory _at the prom-"

"_People must really hate the student council,"_Deidara whispered to Sasori. The redhead chuckled and nodded.

"-and attending the prom is compulsory as well. So no shirking, or you'll be on a cleaning-duty in the kitchen till Easter."

Tsunade quieted for a moment, as if trying to remember what else she was supposed to say. She sighed and fished a paper out of her pocket, unfolding it.

"Cats, punishment, check, check. Dressing, check," she mumbled as she went through the list. "Guess that's it," she said, her eyes widening a little, and then said to the microphone. "You're all dismissed."

Cheering echoed in the auditorium as students got off their seats and made their way to the exit.

-x-

Deidara woke up, when he felt someone running their tongue over his ear shell. Sleepily, he waved his hand, as if to wave off the annoying fly.

"Fuck Sasori, let me sleep," he mumbled, burying his face deeper into the pillow.

The redhead chuckled, moving down to the blond's neck. "No cussing today, remember, babe? It's Saints' day. I could have you written up, you know?"

"Fuck saints' day, I don't give a shit about that one. And I'm not the only one, who's gonna get written up. Hidan can't say two words, without one of them being a cuss word."

"True that, true that," Sasori said and jerked the blanket off the blond, letting the cold air make his lover shiver. He put his hands around him and picked him up, off the bed.

"PUT ME BACK! NOW! PUT. ME. _BACK! OR I'M GONNA BITE YOUR FUCKING HEAD O-!"_

Deidara's struggling and ranting was cut off by a pair of lips kissing him, making him melt in an instant. The hands that had been hitting Sasori's chest, wrapped softly around his neck, fingers sliding beneath his T-shirt.

"Okay," Deidara whispered, when Sasori finally pulled away. "You may wake me up."

-x-

At first, the day seemed as usual as any other, but then things started getting weirder and weirder. Kakuzu and Hidan had taped their mouths shut in order to avoid slipping, teachers hardly spoke and just gave students exercises to do (uh oh, what does that tell us? ;) ) and the hallways were a lot quieter than normally. Deidara had no idea what the punishment could've been and a part of him wanted to cuss just in order to find out, but something about Sasori's look made him decide against it.

When the fourth lesson ended, it was finally time for lunch. Deidara had grown so used to the silence already that he was sure tomorrow, when everything would be back to normal, his ears would fall off.

He raised his head when the bell rung and Sasori tapped on his shoulder.

"Hungry?"

"Eh, what?" the blond asked dumbly, needing some time to get used to _listening_again. "Oh, no, not really. Go on without me, I was supposed to meet up with Sakura and Ino. I'll catch up with you later."

Sasori nodded and went away, leaving Deidara to pick up his things. The blond made a short trip to the dorm room to put away his books and then walked to the girls' dormitory, where Ino was already waiting.

"Hey," Deidara greeted her, noticing that she looked kind of worried and worn out. "Where's Sakura?"

Ino flinched a little and her eyes widened, before they went back to normal. She sighed tiredly. "She locked herself up in her room and refuses to come out, ignoring me knocking on the door and trying to talk to her."

Deidara raised his eyebrows. He walked past Ino straight to the dormitory, up to Sakura's room. Apparently, the girls' dormitory's rooms weren't as full as the rooms in the boys' dormitory and many girls got to have their own private room.

He stopped and knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked again, louder this time. "Sakura, it's me, Deidara! Open up!"

He heard the bed creak and slow, hesitant footsteps getting closer. Finally, Sakura stopped on the other side of the door, without opening it. "Deidara?" her voice was hoarse, like she'd been crying.

Deidara sighed and leaned against the door with his forehead. "Yes, it's me. Now open up," he said patiently and somewhat softly.

He heard the door being unlocked and stepped away from it. Sakura pushed the door slowly open, Deidara's eyes widening a notch when he saw her. He tried to hide his surprise, when he saw the girl totally pale, with dark red eyes. She wasn't wearing any make-up, her usual combed hair was in a messy bun and she was still in her PJs.

"Come in," she whispered. Deidara obeyed immediately and closed the door after himself. Sakura went to sit down on her bed and a tear flowed down her cheek. Deidara stepped closer to her and dried the teardrop, caressing her cheek softly.

"What happened?"

Sakura started sobbing again, looking down, not meeting the blond's eyes. Trying to collect herself, she breathed slowly. "On Saturday, I stayed here, at school. The building was relatively empty and I walked down the hallways to get some dinner. I was in a hurry and suddenly, when I turned around the corner, I bumped into Itachi. I- I… It was quite dark and I couldn't scream for help and he drove me into a corner and… and…" Sakura couldn't speak anymore, the tears made it impossible.

Deidara paled and froze, his hand leaving the girl's cheek. He felt like he was going to be sick, but he managed to keep it in himself.

"Calm down, Sakura, and let Ino in. I have something to take care of. I will be back," he said, caressing the girl's hair. Sakura nodded, still sobbing, and watched the boy leave her room. Ino had been waiting outside and bashed in as soon as she got the chance.

Anger had completely taken over Deidara as he dashed down the stairs into the hallway he knew the rest of the Akatsuki would be. The hallway was quite full, due to it being lunch time after all. People were hungry.

Deidara ignored the crowd and shouted as soon as he noticed the gang on the other side of the hallway. "_UCHIHA!"_

Sasuke and Itzuna, who were both standing right next to him, turned around, confusion reflecting on their faces.

"No, not you two," Deidara said and ran up to the one he'd really meant, glad to see that he had heard him as well. All of the Akatsuki members had turned around with confused faces. Confusion turned into surprise, when Itachi got hit by something grayish-white in the gut. That something exploded, sending him flying through the window. Fortunately, they were on the first floor.

Deidara jumped after him through the broken window, a new clay sculpture already ready in his hand.

Outside, in the cold that the blond barely noticed, Itachi had landed on his back and was about to get up, when another bomb hit him.

"_YOU FUCKING SHITFACE! USELESS FUCKARD! FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT SHAT BY A COW!"_Deidara yelled at the top of his lungs, keeping throwing bombs in Uchiha's direction, until he reached him and could punch him in the face. Itachi would've been a better match, had he been prepared for this. By the time the third punch drew blood out of his nose, he managed to get up and dodge the next attack, punching Deidara back in the gut.

"COCKSUCKING MAN-WHORE!" Deidara continued, feeling a little good about the weasel fighting back. Itachi was no weak opponent and a good fight helped Deidara concentrate on something else than his anger and thoughts.

Just when he was about to kick Itachi in the face with his foot, he felt familiar strings pulling him away, the same time that Itachi was being held back by Kisame and Kakuzu. Pein stepped between the two sides.

"Woah, hold it you two. No fighting in the gang, _okay_?" he said in an easy-going manner, ignoring Deidara's death glare and Itachi's… usual expression with narrowed eyes.

The chakra strings that had pulled the blond to Sasori disappeared once the redhead could wrap his arms around him, holding him tightly against his chest, ignoring his struggling. Deidara kept kicking him frantically, doing everything he could to get free. But the fact that Sasori was indeed stronger than him had been made clear within his first hour at this school.

"Now what's this all about?" Pein continued with the negotiations, doing his best not to cuss and keep his cool.

"_THAT SICK FUCKARD MOLESTED SAKURA!"_Deidara yelled as loudly as he could, spit dropping on the ground. He would've preferred it dropping on Itachi's face though.

Everybody looked at him, Pein's mouth twitching up in a crooked smile, amusement filling his eyes. "Molested _who?_That whore?" It was obvious that with his chuckling he was trying to hold back laughter.

"_SHE'S NOT A FUCKING WHORE. YOU JUST DON'T LIKE HER BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FUCK HER YET!"_

That was a hit below the belt. Pein's amused expression disappeared at once and he walked up to the blond, his face giving away his intention to punch him in the face. Automatically, Sasori removed his one hand around Deidara and used it to stop Pein, stepping between the two.

"_Back off, Nagato_," he hissed poisonously, using the boy's real name instead of the nickname to give his sentence even more emphasis. Pein looked at him for a moment, then closed his eyes, smiled and raised his palms, doing what he was told.

"Chill Sasori, I'm not going to touch your blondie."

Deidara's breath was coming out in short pants as he was still pressed against Sasori's side by the redhead's other hand. His eyes ran over Pein, standing in between, then Itachi, who jerked his hands away from his friends' grips, his calm collected face proving that he would be able to control himself.

Now that Deidara was able to calm down a bit, he began feeling the cold. It had to be below zero outside and he felt a shiver run down his spine. Still, not letting it bother him, he kept glaring at the others, secretly pressing closer against the redhead for the warmth.

Something sticky pressing against his forehead made him shift his gaze from the boys to Tsunade, who was standing next to him with a stamp maker in her hand.

"Welcome to the cat crew, Deidara. You broke the rules."

_Say what?_

-x-

"WHAT THE FUCK? IS THIS EVER GOING TO COME OFF?"

Deidara was in the bathroom, yelling and scrubbing his forehead, where red letters read _CAT PUNISHMENT._He also had a black eye, similar to the two Itachi had, and a bleeding wound on his cheek. The soap container he had emptied was lying in the trash can, where it had landed after he'd kicked it in frustration.

The bathroom door opened and Sasori walked in, putting his hands on the blond's shoulders.

"Don't worry Dei-baby. Tsunade said that she'll give the special liquid to clean it off when the cat day is over, that's on Friday. Until then, you can cover it with your bang and it won't show."

Deidara groaned and closed the tap, using his shirt to dry off his face.

_Merry fucking Christmas._

_-x-_

_To be continued..._


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

* * *

"_Now things are coming clear… and I don't need you here! In this world around me, I'm glad you disappeared."_

Deidara's raged voice sounded like he was singing on MTV, rather than in his own room. He was combing his hair, doing his bang even more carefully than normally, to make sure it covered his forehead.

"_So I'll stay out all night. Get drunk and fuck and fight! Until the morning comes, I'll forget about our life."_

He didn't notice the door creaking and Sasori quietly stepping in. He just kept singing, his voice on the edge of screamo from time to time. To be fair, he could really pull it off. Meanwhile, he went from combing his hair to putting make-up on.

"_I feel so, much better, now that you're gone forever! I tell myself, that I don't, miss you at all! I'm not lying, denying that I feel so much better no-o-ow! That you're gone forever!"_

A pair of cold hands wrapping around his naked body made Deidara jump. He looked away from his own eyes to the mirror and saw Sasori standing right behind him.

"Dei-baby, are you breaking up with me?"

Deidara rolled his eyes, a smile drawn onto his face simply by the redhead's presence.

"Like that would make much difference to you. You would still cling onto by body till I took you back," he muttered jokingly. He leaned closer to the mirror for a second to check if he hadn't missed a spot with the eyeliner. Having confirmed everything was how it was supposed to be, he turned around, wrapping his arms around the older male.

"I'm just a little pissed at the moment and that's one of the songs I like to sing at times like that," he explained, putting his nose against Sasori's.

"Could I be of any help at making your morning a little better?" Sasori asked, placing a soft kiss on the blond's cheek.

"Mhmm…" Deidara mumbled as the redhead traced his mouth from the cheek to the lips. He moved his lips together softly with the other, ruining the routine by biting down the lower lip. Deidara opened his mouth willingly, letting Sasori's tongue in. As it explored his mouth, Deidara caught himself wondering about how it would feel, if his boyfriend had a tongue piercing. He ran his hands up and down Sasori's quite cold naked back, tracing down the ass that, unfortunately, was covered by a pair of jeans.

Their tongues mingling made Deidara give a small moan, Sasori loving each second of hearing it. The redhead was just about to run his tongue along the blond's teeth, when the door opening and Sakura stepping in made them both pull away and glance in her direction.

"_Whaat?"_Deidara whined, giving the tomato red female an annoyed look. "Who left the door unlocked?"

"Umm…" Sakura was in the most awkward situation you could imagine, the paper in her hand was shaking. "Tsunade asked me to bring you this," she said and put the paper on the desk. "Sorry!" she said and rushed out of the door, slamming it shut after her.

Deidara sighed and let go of Sasori, going to the desk and taking the paper.

"What the fuck…?" he mumbled, when he'd read the paper through.

"What is it?" Sasori asked as he slid a red T-shirt on. He turned around and walked to the blond, reading the paper over his shoulder.

"Why would she need to know my shirt and pants size? This can't be good."

Sasori smiled a little, making sure Deidara didn't see this. As he had known Tsunade for many years longer than the blond, he had an idea of what this could be about. And if he was right, it was going to be most enjoyable. In his point of view, not Deidara's, of course.

Like the schedule had promised, the rest of Thursday was an ordinary school day. Almost. Even though Deidara and Sasori always stayed side by side, this time Deidara got the feeling that the redhead was almost glued to him. It didn't exactly bother him, but still felt like being babysat.

"Even though Itachi's collected expression doesn't show it, he's mad as hell at you and would twist your neck any time he got the chance-," Sasori explained.

"Well, two can play that game! Istanbul twist happens to be one of my-" Deidara cut in, but was shut up by a finger on his lips.

"I was using figure of speech, Dei-baby. He wouldn't _kill_you."

"Oh," Deidara said, understanding that he'd gone a little overboard. "Yeah, me neither. Totally uncool." Sasori smiled and removed his finger.

"Of course, the same goes for Pein, but he's angry at me as much as he's pissed at you."

This surprised the blond a little. "At you? Why?"

"For taking your side, of course. He sees his personal karma in you, someone who has come to mess up his life, in addition to mine."

Deidara wasn't sure whether he should've laughed or be offended. Or maybe take it as a compliment, perhaps? In some sick, twisted way? The main thing he didn't understand was Pein's reasoning. Hadn't they already become friends?

Deidara opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He closed it again and tried to get the words straight in his head first. After a minute, he tried again. "I'm overloading with questions, but I'll try to put them in an order. First off, how can he blame you for taking my side? Doesn't he understand or-?"

"Pein has never been _in love,_his relationships are always a game for him. Mere challenges, nothing to do with feelings. He always puts friends first, not understanding how there could be any other way. Bros before hoes, as they say. I used to be the same, _before you came and turned my life upside down" -_Deidara grinned - "and since all the others' boyfriends are part of the gang and everyone put the gang first, there was never any questions about it. Now, _you._You have become a part of the gang, but started a fight with one of the _bros_over a _hoe._Once again, only a figure of speech, Dei. I wasn't insulting Sakura," Sasori added quickly, before Deidara could slap him.

"And by doing that, you broke Pein's number one rule. Since you're still new, it didn't take long for him to categorize you as one of the hoes. When I stood up to him by protecting you,_I_ was choosing a hoe over the bros."

Deidara took a little time to absorb what he'd heard. "You speak like you could read his mind," he muttered.

Sasori chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. But I can't figure everything about him out. Like, for one, whether he's thinking over my motivations or just seeing me as a traitor."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't you said that you guys are really tight and that they all are very good friends to you? How come such a _great_friendship could become so fragile only because of a small conflict? You all seem to be out for each others' necks at the moment."

Sasori's expression surprised Deidara. He wasn't sure what kind of reaction he'd expected, but grinning slyly, like the idea of twisting his friends' necks seemed appealing to him, was definitely not it.

"I always said we protected each other from the outside world, _not from each other."_

"Wow. Wonderful friendship." Deidara really didn't know what else to say.

"Don't worry, it will all soon be over," Sasori assured him. "Although we'll probably both get beaten up in the meanwhile."

-x-

The next morning, a package arrived behind their door. It was addressed to Deidara. The blond opened the seemingly light box. Inside he found packaged clothes and a small note from Tsunade.

_These clothes are your punishment for breaking the rules on Saints' day._

_Wear them with pride and make sure your forehead shows. Get that bang out of the way._

_Or don_'t _and you'll switch roommates. Clear?_

_Happy Cat day!_

_Sincerely,_

_Tsunade_

_My word is law._

Deidara put the note aside and, with his suspicion increasing, tore the packages open, letting the clothes fall out. White skinny jeans, _with a tail._A white T-shirt with a cartoon cat and _MEOW!_printed on it. Cat ears. White gloves with cat nails. Not the outfit he'd choose for a school day, but nothing too outrageous either. What was the catch?

He changed his own T-shirt for the given one and slipped on the jeans. And he got the catch. The jeans had to be at _least_two sizes small! They seemed so tight, Deidara had no idea how he actually managed to put them on. They were worse than the shortest skirts he'd ever worn! And trust this, he'd worn some _really_short ones.

Just when he'd put on the gloves and ears, Sasori came back from the bathroom, stopping in the doorway. He took a quick look at the blond, who was feeling really awkward in the clothes and felt his own cheeks turning slightly pink, and chuckled, walking closer.

"I was hoping the punishment would be good, but _never_did I imagine it would be this fantastic," he said and walked in circles around the blond. Deidara could almost physically feel his eyes wandering down to the overly tight jeans, making him feel self-conscious.

"Makes me want to fuck you right now," he purred into Deidara's ear, his hand sliding down to grip his ass, sending a shiver running down his back.

Deidara shivered a little and felt his hands in the gloves getting sweaty. "P-please, Sasori," he almost moaned as the redhead's hand slid over his ass to rub his clothed cock, soft lips touching against his neck. "I n-need to get through the day with these clothes."

Sasori heard this and stopped, removing his hand. Deidara almost gave a whimper, but managed to hold himself back.

"Later then," Sasori chuckled lowly, running his tongue over the blond's ear shell for the last time, before going to change clothes.

-x-

To be continued...


	15. Chapter 15

_****Wondered what's up with all these updates? Well, I'm trying to finish this fic quickly. I haven't been in a good mood for some time, so what's better than drowning myself in work then?_

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**Chapter 15**

This had got to be a joke. Really. Out of over 500 students, he couldn't have been the only one who had cussed that day, right? Right. Because there was just no fucking way. So, how the fuck was _he_the only one wearing a frigging cat costume?

Deidara was walking by Sasori's side to class, shutting up everyone who dared to laugh with a death glare. Or a smack against their head, if they happened to be close.

_I think I've been here before, I think I've run into you, I know the things that you do, 'cause this is déjà vu._

The lyrics going through his head wouldn't leave him alone, until he realized he was actually singing out loud. He was about to shut up, but then thought over his motivations for doing so. There were none. He continued singing, although not very loudly.

"_Whoaa, this déjà vu, whoa, this is déjà vu."_

And it was. It was a frigging déjà vu. Like the first day of school all over again. Almost. Everyone was staring.

Deidara wasn't sure whether he was just starting to feel paranoid, but he seemed to catch Sasori staring at his ass more often than usually.

They came to a sudden stop simultaneously with three other teens, who halted opposite to them. Their eyes met and for a moment, Deidara felt the others' eyes slide down to the costume he was wearing. The blush that tinted his cheeks turned into an even deeper red, once the teens burst out laughing. Those teens were Pein, Itachi and Kakuzu.

Pein stepped forward and slapped his hand against the blond's shoulder, still shaking from laughing. "All is forgiven, Deidara. We would've thought up a different punishment, but this works just as well."

"This works better!" Kakuzu said, wiping away a tear from the corner of his eye. "What size are those jeans, blondie? Even though I find this hilarious, it's probably nothing compared to Sasori's thoughts. It's a good thing he's had so much practice before, with all the hot girls dressing up for him, otherwise-"

Deidara covered his mouth with his hand, hissing slightly. "I get it. Totally fuckable. Agreed."

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Itachi said and Deidara threw him a sharp glance. Things weren't over between them yet, the glare said.

As people started to get over it, or at least calm down enough to stop the laughing, they all walked to the second floor hallway that led to their classes. Deidara was the first one to take his leave from the group.

He had Estonian, an optional class very few attended. Sasori had never understood what Deidara found so appealing about languages. The blond was fluent in Japanese (his first language), English (He could speak with both American and British accent, without giving away that it wasn't his mother tongue. He was still working on the Aussie accent. He and his sister had divided the languages between them two to be able to pull off as many disguises as possible. When Aussie accent was needed, Deidara would just stay quiet as he had taken British, while his sister had mastered Aussie.), Spanish, Russian and German. He was semi-fluent in Korean, Chinese and Dutch. All thanks to the countries he'd lived in. And he still dreamed of mastering more. Talk about obsessions.

Long story short, Deidara gave a quick smack against Sasori's head for him to stop staring and pecked him on the cheek, before rushing to class. He gave a quiet, yet clear, "Tere hommikust"_(A/N: Estonian for Good Morning)_ to the teacher and stumbled to his seat. The class was quite empty compared to other classes he had. At that moment, he thanked God for that. He could really use a little time without people staring at his clothed ass and dick.

After the bell rung, the teacher gave everyone a piece of paper for the pop quiz. While the teacher was explaining the whole thing all over again, how he didn't want to catch anyone cheating yada yada, Deidara's expression wandered under the table. It was then he noticed the paper on the ground. It was quite small, folded in half twice. He poked it with his foot, like expecting it would come to life, and looked around to see whether anyone was looking in his direction, waiting for him to pick it up. No sign of anyone being interested in his doings at that moment. In fact, everybody had already started writing the test and Deidara figured he should as well, if he wanted to finish on time. The piece of paper could wait until he was done. Had he picked it up, it could've been mistaken for a cheat sheet.

He finished the test quickly enough to be able to bear the curiosity burning inside of him. He almost jumped off his seat and rushed to his teacher to hand in his paper. Ignoring the teacher's instructions on what he was expected to do until others finished as well, he went back to his seat, maintaining the calm look, and picked up the paper.

Making sure no one noticed, he opened a book as a cover up and folded the paper open.

_Deidara,_

_We still have a few things to talk through._

_Meet me in the Solaris parking lot at 5 pm._

_Itachi_

_PS. I am positive you understand that I expect you to come alone._

-x-

Deidara didn't see Itachi for the rest of the school day. Lucky. He wasn't ready to make a smiley face in front of him nor did he want to let Sasori know what had happened.

Right after he had walked out of the classroom, he was pinned against the wall by Sasori, who'd been lurking like a tiger. Deidara let his books fall down and just enjoyed the feeling of Sasori's tongue already entering his mouth. Something to take his mind off the letter at least. Sasori allowed himself to play around a little, messing with the blond's hair and the other hand running along the body, before he broke the kiss.

"Something on your mind?"

In his mind, Deidara cursed. To avoid his thoughts reflecting on his face, he pulled the redhead into another kiss. He knew that Sasori saw through his pitiful, yet enjoyable attempt to avoid answering. His intention wasn't to keep Sasori oblivious, but to take away the free moment for answering. Sasori didn't seem to mind though.

For a moment, Deidara remembered Tsunade's warning about breaking rules, but he brushed it aside with ease. She wouldn't do that on Christmas. Or if she would (yes, she would), he'd find some way to blackmail her. Simple enough.

The annoying sound of the bell ringing brought them both back to reality from the wonderful sensation. Sasori groaned and pulled away, still leaving his hands in Deidara's back pockets. The blond's hands were around his neck.

"What lesson...?"

"Math," Deidara answered.

"Sounds like a wonderful lesson to skip," Sasori smiled widely, his hands pressing more against the blond's ass. His expression alone was enough to let Deidara know what he was thinking.

"Oh, wait wait wait wait. _No._Absolutely not," Deidara said, removing his hands from around Sasori's neck. "No, no, no. I'm going to class-" he said and started to walk away. "You can skip if you want, but I'm going."

Deidara picked up his books from the ground and started walking in a rather calm manner towards the dorm room to get his math stuff. Believe it or not, Sasori just watched him go. Guess where his eyes were.

The teacher's monotone lecture made Deidara wish he had decided to skip the class. What had he been thinking? Old habits of resisting the redhead seemed to have awoken inside of him again for a second. But even with his past thoughts, MATH over SASORI? There was no frigging way.

Deidara closed his eyes after having tried to focus on the numbers on the blackboard. It was giving him a headache, together with the stuffy air and flickering lamp in the corner of the classroom. He slammed his head against the desk without anyone even noticing it.

_I don't... feel so good... want to... go away..._The light clicked his head and he slowly raised his head and hand.

The teacher raised an eyebrow at him, thus giving him a permission to speak.

"Sir, I'm not feeling so good," Deidara said in an award worthy sick voice. His tinted pink cheeks and dizzy look helped also.

The teacher looked at him sceptically, but there was just no way for him to see through the facade. He sighed. "You may go to the nurse."

Deidara sat up, trying not to rush and give himself away, picked up his books and made his way the door, a wicked smiling appearing on his face the second the door closed behind him. Holding back the cheer aching to escape his lips, he almost ran to his dorm room.

He unlocked the door and stepped inside, noticing that Sasori wasn't there. Deidara's eyes wandered across the room, like he was expecting the redhead to jump out of his hiding spot any moment. That never happened.

He put his books on the desk and left the room, heading for the bathroom. He needed some water on his face, since the story about him not feeling so good hadn't been a total lie.

The room was empty and he walked straight to the sinks. His reflection on the mirror was pale, even for him. Maybe he really was coming down with something. He closed his eyes and splashed some water on his face.

Two hands ran up his back, over his shoulders and finally wrapping around his body, making him shiver. Deidara closed the tap as Sasori pressed his lips against his neck.

"Took you long enough. You've been keeping me waiting for too long today."

Deidara felt his breathing becoming heavier as he cocked his head to one side to reveal more skin. "Someone... will walk in on us here."

"No, they won't," Sasori murmured. "They're in class."

Sasori's hands slid beneath the shirt and removed it, without a single complaint coming from Deidara. He went down to kiss Deidara's spine, when his eyes stopped at the long tail sewn to the skinny jeans. An idea flashed through his mind and he brought the blond's hands behind his back, tying them together with the tail, before swirling him around.

"Leaving my eyes open? You've gone soft, Sasori." The mockery smirk on his face represented two of his strongest personality qualities – stubbornness and wish to drive things over the edge.

Sasori smirked in returned and pulled the blond harshly into a kiss, biting down his lower lip to bleed. Deidara winced a little in pain, squeezing his eyes shut. The metallic taste of blood spread in their mouths as Sasori's hands ran down to the jeans he zipped open.

Deidara broke the kiss, smiling against the other's lips. "Good luck with trying to get those off, playboy."

Sasori's eyes narrowed, even though the corners of his mouth stayed up. "Turn around," he demanded.

Instead of waiting for the blond to obey, he swirled the younger man around himself. With a little difficulty, he managed to get the jeans down to the knees, the black bowers slipping down with them immediately.

Sasori's smug smile reminded a demon's expression after a victory. He placed three of his fingers on the blond's mouth, leaning forwards so that his chest touched his back.

"Suck or you'll get fucked without preparation," Sasori purred so sweetly, the voice was like from a romantic movie. An S&M romantic movie.

Deidara looked at the fingers for a second and spat on them. He wasn't sure whether he was feeling masochistic or just pure suicidal, but his greatest wish at that moment was to piss off the redhead. Real bad.

He knew he'd succeeded, even if only a little, when the familiar strings turned him around harshly and made him drop on his knees. He looked up, his glinting eyes meeting Sasori's, arrogance not leaving his face for a second.

Sasori grabbed his ponytail and made him face his jeans. The button on the pants had already been undone. Deidara used his teeth to zip them open and, ignoring Sasori's painful grip, slid the boxers down.

Deidara looked at the redhead's hard dick for a moment, before looking up again. "Someone's in a bit of a need..."

The grip in the blond's hair tightened, and Deidara, in fear of his hair getting pulled out, took the head in. He closed his eyes and hummed, sucking only the head. From Sasori's impatient moan he could tell, the enjoyment of the moment was mutual.

Forced to take more in by Sasori pushing his head from the back, he continued sucking, trying to be as rough as possible. Cold air caressed against his naked torso, making his nipples grow hard. His knees, comforted by his jeans and boxers that had been pulled down there, were starting to hurt from having so much weight on and being pressed against the floor. And all this only added to the mood.

Sasori threw his head back in another loud moan, his grip loosening when Deidara started to deep throat him. The blond didn't seem to need any further encouragement. Deidara couldn't taste the pre-cum anymore as the head was way past his taste-buds.

Just when he'd let the length slide in as deep as possible, they both heard the door open. Feeling utterly annoyed, Sasori turned his head lazily, while Deidara's eyes merely glanced at the intruder.

What a sight it might have been. Sasori's face was covered with sweat, his red hair even messier than usual. He still had his black T-shirt on, but his jeans and boxers were way down. Cat-eared Deidara was kneeling in front of him, his dick in his mouth, hands tied behind his back, and completely naked, unless shoes and pants that were pulled down to his knees counted.

The lucky/unlucky (depending on the point of view) intruder was Kakuzu.

"Oh no, you just didn't-" he started to say, but had to shut up and back away out of the door, when a garbage can was thrown at him. Fortunately for him, it hit the door – the same spot, where he'd been a second ago.

Deidara, acting like nothing had happened, turned back to his job, and removed the cock from his mouth. An action that was most probably going to result in rock hard thrusts into him. That was what he was counting on.

He left his eyes closed, when the strings picked him up, and swirled him around, allowing him to lean on the sink counter. Sasori had already fished out a black ribbon from his pocket, which he used as a blindfold on the blond. A trick used to increase his sense of touch.

Since Deidara had declined preparations, Sasori could only smile, when he planted a soft kiss on his back, before thrusting in. Deidara gave a loud moan, mostly because of the pain. Giving the other a taste of his punishment, Sasori didn't wait for him to adjust, but pulled out and thrust back in, this time hitting the prostate.

Deidara screamed out loud, this time both in pleasure and pain. The redhead continued to repeat the action, quickly building up a rhythm. His own breaths came out uneven as he leaned on the counter with his shaking hands.

Deidara rested his sweaty face against the cold counter, trying to muffle the sounds he was making in the stone. Obviously, it wasn't working. Long vowels escaped his lips, along with Sasori's name. Combining them was another standard of fun.

"Can't... even... feel... you, OHhhh..." Deidara panted, turning his head so that his cheek was pressed against the cold stone and, if he hadn't been wearing a blindfold, he would've been able to see the redhead. Still, the redhead could see him and his smirk.

Sasori reached out for his partner's length, starting to pump in the same rhythm with his thrusts. This sent Deidara completely over the edge. A few more thrusts that were sure to give the blond a sore ass for at least 28 hours, and he came all over the redhead's hand. Sasori didn't stop, though, but continued until the enclosing walls made him cum as well.

He pulled out and wrapped his hands around the blond, who looked like he was about to collapse any moment. He pressed their chests together and pulled him into a messy kiss, their tongues mingling like little tigers during the playtime.

Finally, he broke the kiss for some needed oxygen. Deidara let his head fall on the other's shoulder as he tried to make his breathing go back to normal.

"You're so going to help me dress and carry me to our room..." he mumbled lowly against Sasori's black T-shirt.

-x-

When Deidara woke up, it was dark in their room. The first thought he had that made him feel nauseous, was that he'd missed his _appointment._ Automatically, he reached out for his cell that normally lay on the counter next to Sasori's bed. He unlocked the screen and, with a small sigh of relief, saw that it was almost 4.30 am. It seemed like he'd slept through lunch and all other classes and he had a perfect explanation – he'd felt sick. Nice.

Sasori was asleep next to him. Carefully not to wake the redhead, Deidara slid onto the floor. Silently, he changed into some random clothes he found in his wardrobe in the dark. He started to write a small note for the redhead, but halted, suddenly feeling dizzy, like he had in math class. Had he had more time, he would've sat down to rest, but he was running late. In a hurry, he finished the note and sneaked out of the room.

_Dear Sasori,_

_Had an appointment booked for today._

_I'll be back in an hour or three._

_Kisses on your lips and elsewhere,_

_Deidara_

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To be continued...


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

* * *

Deidara stopped walking, when he reached the parking lot. It was already dark, even though it wasn't even 5 PM yet. Winter. The parking lot looked the same as usual – empty and abandoned. In spite of the classy mall next to it, it had always been like that. People just didn't like to park their cars on completely unguarded spots. Taking the crime rate around there into account, it was perfectly reasonable.

Deidara settled in against the wall of the mall, making sure the spot allowed him to spot his enemy, before he spotted him. It was cold and he could feel it even through his winter coat, which irritated him. He'd been shivering already before he left school, another symptom to prove he was probably sick. He felt his forehead burning up, but didn't want to touch it to check his temperature. With his frozen hands – he'd forgotten to take his gloves – anything would've felt hot as fire.

To make things worse, raindrops started falling down on the ground. Deidara's eyes stopped on the newspaper lying on the ground. There were dozens of muddy footprints on it, but he could still make out the headline written in bold. His eyes widened a little, when he did.

3 YEAR OLD CHILD DESCRIBES, HOW HIS FRIEND DIED IN THE KINDERGARTEN: "He was climbing the ladder. One ladder rung was missing. He got stuck there. He kept struggling and floundering, until he just stopped moving."

The headline covered the whole front cover and there was a picture of an empty playground. Deidara felt his stomach turning over. Aside from the obvious, the thought of the press asking a kid to describe his friend's death made him feel sick.

Shivering, he looked away from the paper. His eyes scanned the parking lot, but there was still not a soul to be seen. Irritated from the cold and waiting and his stomach growling (he'd missed lunch), he fished out his cell. 5:07 PM.

This was not like Itachi. Sure, that boy was a sick bastard, but he'd grown up in a high class family. Being late was definitely not what he thought well of. In his mind, Deidara set his limit to be five more minutes. If he didn't show up by that time, he'd call the taxi to pick him up.

Seconds ticked by, seeming like minutes in the cold weather. Deidara was about to check his mobile for the third time, when he heard a loud laughter from the other side of the lot. He looked up and saw a group of 5 teenagers walking straight towards him. As they got closer, Deidara could see that he recognized only one of them. And it was not Itachi. It was a silver-haired boy, a freshman from his school, but he couldn't remember his name. Regardless, the boy seemed to know him.

"Hey, blondie!"

Even when feeling like shit, Deidara couldn't help, but groan at the nickname. He didn't mind, when one of the Akatsuki members called him that, but coming out of a stranger's mouth, it just sounded humiliating.

Deidara walked away from the mall to meet them halfway. Better to get this over with.

"What do you want?" he asked in a loud and clear voice. It couldn't be described as strong, due to the little shakiness brought on by his shivering.

"_We still have a few things to talk through,"_ the silver-haired boy quoted the letter Deidara had found in Estonian class. At once, Deidara was able to put two and two together. Itachi had never written a letter to him. And these guys weren't here to drink tea.

"I have nothing to talk about with you. I don't know you."

Without waiting for a reply, Deidara turned around, starting to walk towards the entrance to the mall. Hot chocolate sounded way too good at that moment. He halted for second, when he heard the footsteps behind him, and jumped out of the way, dodging the attack aimed at him. His eyes narrowed, when he saw that he hadn't been attacked with mere hands, but a pocket knife.

He swirled his foot around, hitting the guy in the face, when another one came at him from the side. He was able to dodge that one, but was not ready for the attack from the back that flung him onto the wet ground.

Down in the cold rain, he had a chance to think about how bad the flu (or whatever it was) made his reflexes, before he jumped up, throwing a punch at the guy in front of him. He was about to hit the two guys coming at him from two sides, when something hard, possibly a wooden baseball bat, hit him in the ribs. This gave the two guys a chance to punch him as well. Out of the two, Deidara could only block one hit, the other sending blood running from his nose.

Right before he fell down, Deidara turned around so that he could land on his feet and knock the guys standing near him off their feet. Using the break as an opportunity to escape, he jumped up and dashed across the parking lot. Ignoring his aching body and swimming head, he fished out his cell, pressing in the speed dial for taxi.

He'd just managed to say the code and end the call, when he could already hear the screams and footsteps getting closer to him. He was certain that in normal conditions, he would've been able to outrun them. But at that moment, he could feel the energy draining out of him. Oh, why, _why_hadn't he eaten lunch? His head was spinning and vision hazy (the rain wasn't helping), when he saw the taxi turn around the corner, coming to a stop a few hundred meters from him.

He could feel his legs starting to give away, but years of training had taught him how to give absolutely everything he had, until collapsing became inevitable, even for him. He just prayed he wouldn't collapse before he reached the cab.

He could almost feel the chasers getting closer and realized with a gasp that he wouldn't make it, unless he sped up. Big time. His throat was already burning and he found it hard to breathe, when he tried to force his legs to move faster. He splashed through water puddles, his soaked sneakers making his feet feel numb. And on these numb legs he had to keep moving.

He coughed out his breath, when he felt someone grab him by jacket. As a distraction, he squatted, zipping the jacket open and sliding it off on the way, so that for a few seconds he was free again. And that was all he needed.

The cabbie had seen him coming and opened the door for him. Deidara literally jumped in, shutting the door behind him with a loud slam.

"Drive!" He'd meant to shout the word, but it only came out as a quiet whisper between his panting. The taxi driver understood, though, and stepped on the pedal.

Deidara lay down on the backseat, his hand sliding over his stomach and chest. No ribs seemed to be broken, but there was a lot of blood ruining his shirt. Doing a full body scan, he ran his hands up to his head and face, where blood was mixed with sweat and rainwater. His stomach was growling and that was when he felt he had absolutely no more energy left in his body. He fainted.

-x-

Deidara felt bright light hurting his eyes, even though they were closed. He opened and squinted them, waiting for his vision to become clear. When it did, the first thing he saw was a familiar pair of eyes staring at him, a glint of hope shining in them. Recognizing Sasori, he moved his head a little to look around. He was lying in one of the dozen beds with snow-white sheets in the infirmary, a place he was no stranger to. Figured.

"You have to stop doing this to me," Sasori said softly, yet there was an unmistakable demanding note in his voice.

Deidara was not so quick to catch on. "Do what…? What year is it?"

"Get hurt so bad that you end up in the infirmary."

"Better than in the graveyard," Deidara joked, but his smirk faded instantly, when he saw Sasori's eyes narrow. He must've been mad as hell at him.

Silence fell as the atmosphere had grown tense. Deidara knew that even if he'd wanted to turn away from Sasori's burning glare, he wouldn't have been able to do it. An awkward beeping sound made them both blink and Deidara looked at the other in confusion, until Sasori pulled his blanket off a bit. He took the thermometer, Deidara didn't even know he had, under the armpit and looked at it.

Deidara closed his eyes and did a full body scan, touching and moving every part of his body to confirm that nothing was broken. Apart from a few bruises and almost healed wounds, he was fine. He started to sit up, but was stopped by Sasori's hand on his chest.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?"

Deidara, caught off guard by the redhead's harsh words, didn't manage to keep a mixture of shock and surprise off his face. His eyes widened a little and he tried to keep his voice as indifferent as possible.

"To get something better on than these unstylish mental PJs." He said, making a gesture that said 'duh'. He felt like he was giving answers to his mother. "I'm fine. Nothing's broken and I don't have any other severe injuries either. I'm good to go."

Sasori's eyes narrowed and he pushed the blond back on the bed. Deidara tried to sit right back up, but the strong hands held him pinned down.

"What…? What's your damage? Let. Me. GO!" No matter how hard he tried to struggle, what was impossible, stayed impossible. His stubbornness and anger didn't let him see how much worse the redhead's mood was. To him, there was only unfairness holding him from getting what he wanted.

"For once, Deidara, you're going to do what you're told. _Stay down."_

Deidara could see from the corner of his eye the nurse coming, holding something in her hands. For a moment, Deidara wasn't sure if what he was seeing was real or a dream. He would've pinched himself, had the redhead allowed him to move his hands. Instead, he had to use logic instead. He doubted, whether it was real, meaning he was awake. No one ever has any doubts while they're dreaming. Everything just made sense, when you were under. And sense – he couldn't see it now.

Deidara didn't stop struggling even when the nurse reached him and put her hand on his forehead. Deidara could see the syringe in her other hand.

"Needles? I hate needles! LET ME GO, SASORI!" Deidara was screaming at the top of his lungs now, trying frantically to break free from the grip. He could see the nurse moving closer with the syringe, while Sasori tried his best to hold him still.

The needle went through Deidara's skin and the liquid was inserted into his body, spreading around quickly like a virus. He could feel his eyelids getting heavy and his ability to move slowly abandoning him. He shook his limbs one last time, before letting them fall down numb. He knew that he wouldn't be able to stay awake much longer, but tried to resist the sleep nevertheless.

Seeing as Deidara had given up, Sasori's grip loosened. The nurse pulled the needle out and cleansed the spot on the blond's arm with a wet cotton bud. She then said something to the redhead that Deidara didn't hear. Sasori nodded and she left.

Once the two males were alone again, Sasori shifted his attention back to the blond, who was doing everything in his power to keep his eyes open. In his mind there wasn't much room for any thoughts about what was happening, the drug had filled the space.

Sasori smiled softly and caressed Deidara's blonde hair, leaning forward to kiss him on the forehead. The redhead's sweet cold touch on the blond's skin, left him with no other options, but to close his eyes. It was somewhat an automatic reaction, just like when paper and fire touch, the paper will burn to ashes. He could hear Sasori's low whisper before he dozed off, "Sleep, love. I will stay here."

-x-

The next time Deidara opened his eyes, he saw that he was still lying in the same bed, only Sasori was lying beside him, hands wrapped around him. He tried to move to one side, but because of that one small movement, Sasori's eyes opened up immediately.

"Morning, babe," he said with a wide yawn.

"Morning? What the hell...? What time is it? What day is it?"

Sasori rubbed his eyes before fishing out his cell from his back pocket. "It is… 11:08 am. And it's Saturday."

Deidara frowned and tried to remember what had happened. Had it all been a dream? Starting when…? No, it was too real to be a dream and the facts added up too perfectly.

"Mind telling me what's going on? My memory is a bit… blurry."

Sasori moved a little, letting Deidara rest his head on his chest. Once the blond had made himself comfortable, he ran his hand up to his blonde hair, playing with the strands.

"When I woke up Friday evening, I found the bed empty," he said and shot the blond a look. Deidara pretended he didn't notice. "On the desk there was a note. You already know what was written on it. I called your cell, but you didn't pick up. After about 5 minutes I tried again, but the result was the same. That went on for about half an hour, till some man answered. At first, I thought he had kidnapped you, until he explained that you'd fainted on the backseat of his cab and he didn't know what to do. He obviously hadn't heard of emergency service. He was waiting in front of the school house when I and Shizune arrived."

"But the needle…?" Without thinking about it, Deidara's hand wandered to the spot the syringe's needle had been inserted. "Was it real or was I dreaming? Why didn't you let me go?" There was an accusing tone in his voice.

"Deidara, your body temperature was _40.1°C._Shizune even talked about the possibility of you being taken to hospital."

This made the blond shut up for a while. Sasori waited as he absorbed what he'd just heard. He'd been sick? Like, sick sick? Like, sick sickedy sick? It hadn't been because of the injuries caused by the fight? For some reason, it made him feel embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking on the last word.

Sasori's eyes widened a little and he looked at the blond, who was deliberately facing away from him. "Sorry for what?"

Deidara stayed silent for a moment to prevent his voice from cracking again and said, "For making you worry by getting sick. I'm sorry, I-" And his voice cracked again.

"You're apologizing for being sick?" Sasori asked in surprise.

Deidara nodded against his T-shirt, still avoiding looking at him. Even in the current situation, Sasori couldn't help but chuckle. Usually, the blond gave the impression of knowing everything about the underworld and the life under the sun, but then suddenly, he would act like he had no idea how humanity worked.

"What?" Deidara pouted, the chuckling getting on his nerves as he didn't know the reason. Although it was likely that he was the reason.

"How many times have you been sick, Deidara? Sick as in lying still in a bed, taking medicines and drinking tea?"

Deidara's first reaction would've been to snap at him with something like 'do you really think I've ever had time for that?', but something held him back from blurting it out. He thought the question over and it really did seem something a person would do, when they were sick. So the question was reasonable.

Then he thought back to his past. The first images coming to his mind were of him and his sister roaming the dark streets in the night, meeting up with some gangs definitely on the police's WANTED list. He could remember a few times, when his throat had been aching and he'd coughed, but he'd just ignored it, slept when he got the chance and then after that, everything would be better. He'd never even dreamed about just staying in bed, for he'd never had the time. He'd slept and eaten only, when he'd had the time, dealings and 'meetings' had been his first priority.

Thinking back now, he started getting a little worried about his sister. How many times could there have been, when she'd felt sick and had had a fever, without cancelling any of their plans? But she'd never told, just like Deidara, because she didn't want to be a burden and the reason for them failing, _just like Deidara._

Hearing Sasori sigh reminded him that the redhead was still waiting for an answer. "No, I haven't."

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Sasori murmured more to himself and sat up, Deidara moving his head to the pillow.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back," Sasori said. "Shizune wanted me to tell her, when you woke up."

He went away and came back with the nurse a few minutes later. Shizune smiled friendlily.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Fine, really. Can I go?" Deidara answered automatically, without even thinking about it. Maybe the answer came too fast.

Shizune shook her head and tucked the thermometer under Deidara's armpit. "Nice try, but you're going to stay here for at least three more days."

"What?" Deidara gasped. Three more days? That was ridiculous!

"I don't want you to go out there, when your fever could go up again any second and you could faint. I'm more than certain Sasori agrees with me."

Sasori, who had sat down on the blond's bed, nodded. He caressed the blond's hair to comfort him, even if only a little. "Don't worry, I'll stay here most of the time and you won't get bored."

What the fuck, part two.

"Wha-? No, no way. You don't have to stay. You'll get bored and I'll be a burden. I don't want that."

Sasori only rolled his eyes and didn't answer. He looked back at Shizune, who was just about to check the thermometer.

"I think it'll be a little longer than three days," she said and cleansed the thermometer. "I'll go get your medicines." And she left.

Sasori looked at Deidara with his this-is-how-it-is-going-to-be-no-arguing face and Deidara closed his eyes. He could feel his eyes ridiculously tearing up and this time, he really felt like a moody girl on her period. There was no reason for crying, except the one he had. But that one sounded too pathetic and he would've never said it out loud. He was going to miss the prom. And Sasori had ordered the dress for nothing, just wasting money. _Fuck you, world._

-x-

Days went by with Sasori staying in the infirmary just like he'd promised, leaving only to get them both some food. Maybe he was away, when Deidara was sleeping as well, the blond couldn't be sure, because every time he woke up, the redhead was always by his side.

Sasori brought them Deidara's mp3-player, board games (including chess), different dishes that somehow followed Deidara's TOP 19 favourite foods' list and the blond's favourite magazines to read (most of them ordered from Germany). He brought Deidara his cell phone so that he could talk with his parents about the parents' day he was going to miss. Deidara didn't regret missing this particular event, for Sasori had assured him it was annual. Deidara had asked Sasori about the school presents' deadline they had missed, but the redhead said he'd asked Hidan to pick them up for them.

Wednesday morning (one day before the dance), when Deidara woke up, he was surprised to see that Sasori wasn't there. He found a note together with his breakfast on the night table next to his bed.

_I'll be away for a few hours._

_Relax and rest until I get back._

_Love,_

_Sasori_

Unlike Deidara, Sasori usually just settled for the word 'love' in a letter. The blond preferred it that way, it just sounded… so… indescribable.

Deidara knew his face had fallen, when he'd finished the note. Luckily he was alone. A selfless voice in his head reminded him that this was what he'd wanted – to not be a burden and let Sasori have some fun, instead of holding him captive in this damn infirmary. And still, he couldn't help but feel sad. Sasori was really getting him spoiled.

He didn't get to stay alone for long though. After finishing his breakfast, the nurse came to tell him that he had visitors (no one except Sasori had been allowed to see him before, since he could've been contagious, but now he hadn't had a fever for 12 hours). He didn't even have to look to know that the first two to come running in were Sakura and Ino.

They shared a few hugs, before the girls gave him their present – a cake! Deidara couldn't help but laugh out loud, when he saw it. Even though he was full, there would always be room left in his stomach for cake. Partly because he didn't want to go fat (yes, even some guys think about that), partly because he didn't want to be rude, he asked his friends to take two pieces as well. The cake got divided into 3 and eaten way too quickly.

"So, when are they going to let you out?" Ino asked, putting the empty plate on the nightstand. "You're going to come to the dance, right?"

Even though Deidara had almost gotten used to the idea of missing the prom, both his friends could see the change in his expression. "No, probably not. They're afraid of my fever going up again and me collapsing suddenly."

The girls could see that this topic was too sensitive and they tried to change it, but the damage had already been done. After about half an hour, the girls left, seeing as the blond looked like he would appreciate being left alone.

Deidara decided to kill time by just walking around aimlessly in the infirmary. This proved to be even more boring than everything else he'd tried so far and thus he resettled on his bed, trying a game of chess against himself.

When Sasori returned, he found the blond sleeping.

-x-

_Thursday, 21th December, 2 hours before the dance_

Deidara's mood was worse than it had been in a long time. A LONG time. He was throwing a bouncy ball against the white wall of the infirmary, catching it before it hit the ground and throwing it back again. He'd just caught the ball, when someone stepped in. Automatically, Deidara sent the ball flying in the person's direction and Sasori was really lucky to duck so quickly, otherwise he would've had to walk around with a black eye on Christmas.

"Whoa, chillax, babe," Sasori said, getting back up.

"Oh, sorry," Deidara said, sighing. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to collect himself. "Any news?"

Sasori smiled at him, but didn't say anything. Deidara quirked an eyebrow. "What?"

Sasori didn't answer, only chuckled, like the blond was missing something obvious. It was only then that Deidara's eyes fell on the big box the redhead was holding in his hands.

"What is that?" he asked suspiciously, moving slowly closer.

Sasori set the box down on a nearby bed and stepped away from it, backing down to the door. "Your dress arrived. I'll come pick you up in an hour."

-x-

To be continued...


	17. Chapter 17

_Only a few more chaps and then I can continue with the sequel! Yay! _

* * *

**Chapter 17**

* * *

Deidara was wearing a long dress in the colours of black and silver. The sleeves went on till his fingers, covering his palms like gloves. The upper part of the dress was like a corset, only without the special cut for boobs. The silver lace crisscrossed his chest and stomach on the black background. The skirt was mostly black and touched the ground, hiding Deidara's silver high-heeled shoes. He was wearing his usual black eyeliner make-up, with the slight difference that he'd used silver eye shadow a little as well. His long blonde hair was down.

Deidara had just finished putting his comb and make-up back in his bag, when the door was opened and Sasori stepped in. Deidara whirled around, almost falling over out of surprise. Scratch the almost, he landed on the bed.

Sasori, who'd been stunned until then, chuckled and walked closer, extending his hand to help the blond back to his feet. Deidara didn't even look at the hand, only kept staring at the redhead. Imagining something sexier than Sasori in the black tux he was wearing seemed ridiculous and impossible. The outfit was pretty simple, honestly, but that was what made it so perfect. A black jacket and smart-trousers, a white shirt and black tie.

Like remote controlled, Deidara stood up, taking Sasori's hand in the manner of a princess. Sasori smirked and bowed, kissing the blond's hand and then looking up.

"Would you do me the honour of going to the dance with me?"

Deidara was too stunned to reply, so he just stood there like an idiot. Sasori took it as a "yes" and led them out of the infirmary, keeping up his "prince on a white horse" act.

Deidara had trouble keeping his head from spinning; the hallways had been decorated whilst he'd still been stuck in the infirmary. The way to the big auditorium room, now serving the purpose of a ball room, had been marked with a red carpet. The ceiling had been decorated with stars and hanging mistletoes with signs "PDA allowed". There was a Christmas tree on nearly every corner of the school, decorative presents under it.

Deidara stopped looking around and focused on keeping his eyes in front of him once he'd caught Tenten and Pein making out under a mistletoe. Maybe the "no PDA" rule wasn't as ridiculous as it had seemed at first. Some people really should have got a room.

He could hear the song "White Christmas" playing as they entered the ball room. Deidara's mouth almost fell open at the sight before him. All the chairs were gone and there were huge glass sculptures that looked like they were made of ice in the corners of the room. Antique chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling, creating a romantic atmosphere. A senior year student was playing behind the grand piano and it was only now that Deidara realized the music wasn't coming from a CD – it was a live concert. A dark-haired girl, whose name Deidara didn't know, was singing.

"Wow," was the only word Deidara was able to get out, before Sasori took his hand and placed the other one on his own shoulder, his second hand going down to Deidara's back. He swirled them around to the middle of the dance floor.

"You can dance?" Deidara asked in astonishment.

Sasori laughed. "Playboy, remember? Chicks dig this."

"You have a talent for ruining perfect moments, you know that?" Deidara said, a little irritated.

"It wouldn't be bad for you to praise me once in a while. After all, I did ignore all those chicks in short dresses who're staring at us."

Sasori turned his back to them, so that Deidara could see them over his shoulder. "Chicks, eh?" he said, pressing his lips against Sasori's. Unlike usually, he kept his eyes open to see the females' reactions to this and when he used his hand on Sasori's shoulder to give them the finger. Girls looked like they'd been punched in the gut.

This made Deidara laugh and he couldn't help but break the kiss.

"Something funny?" Sasori asked, his eyes still closed.

"Nothing worth mentioning."

The redhead decided not to pry. The song ended and another one began. This time, it was "All I want for Christmas is you".

Deidara closed his eyes and rested his head against Sasori's chest, murmuring the lyrics along.

"_I just want you for my own,__more than you could ever know...Make my wish come true. All I want for Christmas is you, you baby_..."

At that moment, everything seemed to be perfect. Deidara didn't even notice all the people around them; it was just Sasori and him. If this was what Christmas felt like, he'd join a Xmas-every-day petition club.

Deidara opened his eyes and looked up, when Sasori came to a stop. Next to them was standing Deidara's personal headache, her hand on Sasori's shoulder.

"Excuse me, Sasori," Tenten said, acting like the blond wasn't even there. "Some of my friends wanted to ask, whether they'd get a dance as well."

Deidara glared daggers at her, but she seemed oblivious. She was completely ignoring the blond's existence. Deidara held back the urge to step on the bitch's toes. Instead, he opened his big mouth. "Why didn't they come to ask themselves? Why are you keeping poor Pein waiting?"

That made her notice him. She turned around slowly, calming herself by taking a deep breath. "Oh sorry, didn't see you there. Wow," she faked a surprise and covered her mouth with her hand "is that a new dress or did you borrow your mum's old dressing gown?"

Sasori coughed before Deidara was able to quip back at her. "Ahem, Tenten? Tell your sweet friends that I'm unavailable tonight. And all other nights for that matter. Now if you excuse us," Sasori put his hand around Deidara and they walked away, leaving Tenten standing there alone in the middle of the dance floor in her way too short dress.

"That could've gotten ugly," Deidara murmured as they went to sit down on a chair next to the wall.

"Good thing you've got me," Sasori joked and let him sit down on his lap.

Deidara laughed quietly, running his finger down from Sasori's cheek to his chin. The redhead planted a soft kiss on his lips, caressing his blond hair with care.

"Ahem, is this thing on?" Tsunade said, tapping against the microphone. Sasori broke the kiss and they both looked in her direction, just like the rest of the students. The woman was wearing a long tight red dress with a huge neck hole that showed off her chest.

"I'd like to remind you all that you can cast your votes for the prom king and queen on the third floor. You'll have no trouble finding the box, the signs will lead you there. The king and queen will be announced at nine o'clock." With that said, she left the stage.

"Sasori?"

"Hm, Dei-baby?"

"Do I count as a king or a queen?"

This caused Sasori to burst out laughing so hard that both of them almost fell off the chair. Deidara stood up, letting Sasori calm down, just in case. He looked around and saw that the girl from before had started singing again, this time, the song was rather unrelated to Christmas.

_Guess mine is not the first heart broken… My eyes are not the first to cry… I'm not the first to know, there's just no getting over you._

"Wanna dance?" Sasori asked as he stood up and took the blond's hand. Deidara smiled and nodded and Sasori led them both to the already crowded dance floor.

_But now there's nowhere to hide, since you pushed my love aside. I'm out of my head, hopelessly devoted to you._

Deidara wasn't sure for how many songs they stayed there, just dancing, closely pressed against each other. His head was against Sasori's chest as they swirled around like in heaven. Whenever there was a song he liked, his lips seemed to move of their own accord to sing along quietly. Whoever said there was no heaven on Earth, had never been in love.

_Near, far, wherever you are. I believe that the heart does go on. Once more you open the door. And you're here in my heart. And my heart will go on and on._

"Dei? You still awake?"

Deidara opened his eyes and looked up, his smile reflecting his utter happiness. "Of course."

"Good." Sasori smiled back and began leading them towards the door.

"Where are we going?" Deidara asked in confusion as they exited the ball room and went down the stairs.

"I want to show you something," Sasori said, leaving the object unspecified. The blond was so used to trusting him already that he didn't feel the need to inquire any further.

They walked outside. It was dark already, the lights decorating the front yard making it all look like… like something indescribably beautiful. The white clean snow on the ground, the trees covered by the snow and up in the dark blue sky, along with the stars…

Deidara gasped. "Full moon."

Sasori smiled and stepped by his side, putting his jacket over his shoulders to stop the blond from shivering. Deidara just kept staring at the sky, clueless of the fact that his mouth was open. Sasori let him have his moment, without being disturbed. He put his hand around the blond and looked up as well.

After an unknown amount of time, Deidara turned his head to look at the redhead, and smiled. "It's beautiful. Thank you."

Sasori returned the smile, before kissing him on the lips. Deidara turned his body as well, wrapping his other arm around Sasori's neck, kissing him back with softness. He opened his mouth to let the other's tongue in, without showing any resistance. Sasori explored the blond's mouth, tracing his sharp teeth with playfulness. Unfortunately, Deidara's shivering made it soon impossible to continue.

Sasori sighed and pulled away. "C'mon, let's go inside."

Deidara nodded, almost shaking, trying to hurry without actually breaking into a run. When they got into the building, Deidara was almost run down by a girl he found very familiar. Two of them actually, the second one just came later.

"Ohmigod, Dei! We've been looking all over for you!" Sakura exclaimed in a worn-out voice. Her uneven breathing showed that she'd been running. "You need to come now. Where's Sasori? Oh, here you are," she said and grabbed the astonished redhead's hand as well. "Come!"

While Sakura started to pull them, Ino assisted her by pushing from the back. After a few seconds, Sasori and Deidara understood what they were expected to do – move. They let themselves be led back to the ball room, where several people were already standing on the stage. Sasori, being the one who'd attended the school's dances often enough, put two and two together instantly. Deidara, on the other hand, wasn't so quick to catch on.

"What…?" he started to say as he was pulled onto the stage, along with Sasori, to stand next to Tenten. He was in the row of girls with the black-haired bitch and Temari, while Sasori was with Pein and Sasuke.

"These are the students that got the most votes," Tsunade continued with her speech that Deidara had missed the beginning of. Kakashi, who was wearing a black tux, stepped closer and handed her a red and a green envelope.

"And now I have the envelope," she continued. "Which contains the names of the prom _king and queen_."

Loud cheering and the sound of clapping came from the crowd, along with some approving shouts. In all this noise, Deidara just wanted to facepalm himself. First of all, who'd been the fucks to vote for him to be the queen? Secondly, why was he compelled to stand next to the bitch he wanted to avoid to drown the urge to punch her face in? And thirdly… the repetition of the last two questions. Why, just why?

Someone invisible to all this circus gave the drum roll as Tsunade ripped the green envelope open. "And the king of the Christmas Prom is… Pein. _What a surprise."_No one could hear the last part, besides the ones on stage, due to the new round of cheering and whistles.

Pein smiled and stepped forward, leaving the two guys, who looked like they really couldn't care less, behind. Tsunade gave him the golden crown, which he proudly put on his head, while smiling like a Cheshire cat. Many girls reached out for him, like fans would do at a rock concert, and Pein touched their hands briefly, probably making their pitiful lives.

Tsunade fake coughed into to microphone and everybody quieted – they knew what was coming next. The prize which dozens of cat fights had been about, the reason why some girls' dresses had been sabotaged at the last moment. The queen of the prom.

Tsunade ripped the second – red - envelope open and took out the paper inside. "And the queen of the Christmas Prom is… it was a tie."

There was an awkward silence until the crowd understood what had just been said. Then there was a loud chorus groan, backed up with a couple of "What the hell?" and "Fuck you!"s.

Tsunade didn't let it bother her. "Deidara and Tenten, please step forward."

The girls, I mean, the boy and the girl obeyed. Tenten's face was like she'd just swallowed something very sour. Her mouth corners were up, but fists were clenched. She probably would've cried for her bad luck, had she not been in public.

Deidara was just plain irritated, and he made no efforts to hide it. First of all, he didn't want to be the fucking queen of anything and he definitely was not going to dance with Pein. Although it might've been fun to see the look on his face.

"The tie-breaker-" Tsunade started to say, but was cut off by Deidara grabbing the mic.

"I want to thank everyone, who voted for me, but I think we all know, who truly deserves this crown." He paused for a moment and glanced at Tsunade to see how much trouble he'd be in, if he continued.

The woman looked somewhere between indifferent and extremely bored. Deidara took it as encouragement to continue. He turned back to the crowd.

"It's not the short slutty dress nor her painted face that makes her worthy of the title, but her great personality," Deidara said, enjoying every moment of the expressions he saw in the crowd. Only a few quicker ones had got the joke. Feeling merciful towards the slow ones, Deidara decided to continue, to make sure everyone got it.

"She's _honest. Nice. Modest. _And _friendly_towards_everyone,"_Deidara said, putting stress on each of the adjectives. "And most of all, she's my very dear friend. That's why, I think she deserves the crown more than I do, more than anyone else in this room does."

And with those words, Deidara handed the microphone back to Tsunade, who had an approving smirk on her face, and took the crown, which he put on the astonished Tenten's head.

"Why…? Why, Deidara?" she asked, clearly not having gotten the joke, along with half of the crowd. In her mind, Deidara had probably just gone mad. The blond couldn't blame her; he'd never expected her to be one of the brightest kids in school.

Deidara looked into her eyes for a moment, before spitting. "Because fuck you, bitch."

And he walked down from the stage, together with Sasori, who put his hand around him and whose expression showed that he was one of the _bright kids._

Sasori and Deidara spent the rest of the dance on the school's huge balcony (both of them wearing winter jackets, of course). The blond had just started explaining, how to recognize Sirius among the rest of the stars, when they heard the door behind them opening. They turned around and saw Temari and Shikamaru walk in.

"Hey," Temari said friendlily. "You guys wanted to get away from the noise as well?"

Deidara had never had a remarkably long conversation with either of his schoolmates, but that was just due to the lack of mutual interests. He didn't have anything against them. "Yeah," he said.

"Awesome prank on stage," she continued, without giving away what she was actually getting at.

Deidara nodded. "Yeah, the joke of the year." His tone was hardly sincere.

"Well… not exactly." Temari gave them a level look.

Both Sasori and Deidara raised their eyebrows.

"Pein dumped Tenten on stage," Shikamaru said bluntly, joining the conversation for a second, before going back to his silent self.

Deidara couldn't help but snort. "He did what?"

"Yeah, Tenten was giving her speech and said, I quote, 'Me and Pein will remain as the royal couple.' Pein took her hand, kissed her on the lips and said, again I quote, 'Darling, you're single.'"

Had this been a facebook conversation, Deidara would've typed 'lol'. But since it wasn't, he just smiled widely, baring his white teeth.

"Excuse me, I have to go congratulate her," he said and left the balcony.

It took Sasori at least a minute to understand that the blond hadn't been kidding, thus wasn't coming back.

"Wait! Deidara! Don't!"

* * *

_To be continued…_


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

* * *

Deidara Iwaga had developed a mixture of distaste and hatred towards his schoolmate, Tenten. Yet he couldn't help, but take her side the next morning he entered the class.

There was the redheaded teen boy, who had more metal on his body than most people had in their wallets. He was sitting on the desk, surrounded by a crowd of his classmates, and had a hot, barely dressed girl on his lap. The girl, known as Emi, had long dark hair and cream-colored skin that Deidara suspected to be the result of powder and skin perfector. She was wearing a short skirt and a sleeveless shirt with a wide collar that revealed the upper part of her push-up bra. The high heels of her shoes would've made any model proud and anyone barefoot in the vicinity want to run away.

Deidara raised his eyebrows at the sight, while Sasori next to him didn't seem surprised in the least. Deidara halted and scanned the room in search of the girl he despised the most in this school. He found Tenten sitting at the back of the classroom in isolation, her midnight-black hair down, covering her face. The window was open and the air flipped her hair, revealing her face. Deidara's eyes widened.

The girl looked pale and sick, obviously not wearing any make-up. There were dark circles under her slightly swollen eyes, giving away that she'd been crying recently.

It was only then that Deidara took a good look at the girl. She was wearing a simple pair of jeans and T-shirt, a grey jacket wrapped around her. It covered most of her neck, but couldn't hide the cuts on the skin from Deidara's well-trained eyes.

She looked weak and broken, resembling an anorexic zombie with vampire skin. That was when it hit Deidara. Anorexia. Tenten had always looked very skinny, but the make-up on her had hidden any possible signs of sickness and just made her look attractive, to most boys at least. Could the girl have been sick? It could've explained how she was so easy to push over the edge. Even though a break-up wouldn't qualify as "easy".

Deidara knew he'd been staring at the girl for some time, but he couldn't bring himself to care. It was nauseating to see what someone's game could do to a person. Pein didn't even look at her, no one did, but the blond was sure the girl's eyes kept glancing at the boy from time to time. It would've been natural, though masochistic. That's human nature for you.

The bell rang and everybody went to their seats, Pein giving Emi one last kiss on the lips, before doing so. The seat next to Tenten remained empty as well as the seats in front of her.

Deidara couldn't help, but keep glancing at the girl through the class. In his head, there was a fight going on between the part of him that knew what was the right thing to do and the other part that kept yelling "WHO GIVES A FUCK. SHE'S A BITCH, END OF STORY."

Deidara sighed and ripped out a clean page from his notebook. He wrote down a phone number and a name and folded the paper in half. When the class was over, he kept in mind to take enough time on his seat, so that the girl would pass him.

"Tenten," Deidara called, "You dropped this," he said and handed her the paper. Tenten refused to meet his eyes. She only nodded, took the paper and walked away.

_Now I've done more than enough,_Deidara tried to convince both sides of himself. He sighed and collected his things, hoping his consciousness would leave him alone just this once. Even though he didn't like her and knew that it was her own fault that she fell for such an infamous trap, he couldn't help but pity her. It was like Pein had taken everything there was to take from her. Guess where the nickname came from.

"What was written on that paper?" Sasori asked as they walked to their next class.

Deidara sighed again. "A phone number of someone she could talk to, someone who'd most probably care to listen."

Sasori nodded and stayed silent, keeping his thoughts on this to himself.

After their fourth class ended, everybody was expected to grab their winter coats and meet up on the top of the school's roof. No matter how hard Deidara pushed, Sasori only chuckled at his urge to know what was going to happen. The blond seemed to be the only oblivious one though, as the event was one of the school's annual traditions.

_Present jump. What the hell?_

There was already a long line on the roof when the couple got there. They joined the queue behind Itachi and Kisame. Deidara tried to make them tell him what was going on, but they only smirked slyly and gave a low "you'll see".

Deidara frowned. It was taking forever for the line to get shorter and he couldn't see what was going on at the front. He started jumping on spot, partly because he was getting cold, partly because he was too anxious to find out. Sasori smiled and put a hand over his shoulder, kissing him on the forehead.

"Relax and be patient. It'll be worth it."

As they got closer to Tsunade, who was standing at the front, Deidara's mouth fell open, when he could finally _see._One by one, students were getting connected to a large elastic cord, preparing for a jump off the roof. Then getting pulled up again, with a present box in their hands.

Present jump. Some people made things way too literal.

"I've never bungee jumped before," Deidara gaped, his eyes wide with excitement. His eyes were on Sakura, who in her brown jacket, glanced at the ground anxiously, before closing her eyes and stepping off the roof.

Deidara heard someone giggling and it took him a minute to realize the sound was coming from his own mouth. He covered it quickly, but continued laughing. Sasori gave him a half-concerned, half-amused look.

"You okay?"

Deidara nodded, laughing, not taking his eyes off the girl who had just returned with her present. This had to be one of the funniest things the blond had ever done in his life. In his mind he congratulated whoever had come up with this.

There were two men, probably some professionals making sure no one died, connecting the cord to Deidara, while he held his hands up to keep them from getting in the way of the straps. The fastening was done quickly and one last check confirmed that everything was ready.

Deidara glanced one last time at Sasori, who was smiling at him, waiting for his turn. The blond shifted his gaze to the ground below. He'd never been afraid of heights, but damn, those presents were far away. He just hoped he'd be quick enough to grab the prettiest present.

_You've managed to dodge two knife-attacks coming from two sides at the same time. Grabbing a present ought to be a piece of cake compared to that._

_Hmm, cake… I want cake_, Deidara mused before jumping.

The free-landing experience was surely something he'd not forget. As the ground got closer, he spotted a present wrapped in Barbie-pink wrappers. The package looked mildly disgusting and that was probably the reason his eyes stayed glued to it. Right when he was supposed to get his present, he realized he'd forgotten to look for any normal presents and he grabbed the first one he noticed, which turned out to be the same pink one.

He cursed in his head and his first reaction was to drop it, but quick calculations told him he'd have no time left for picking a new one. Those who got pulled up without a present would have to wait until everyone else had had their turns. Any present seemed a better alternative than that.

He held onto the box and waited, irritated, until he was pulled up. People quickly unstrapped him and motioned for him to move out of the way. He stepped aside and let Sasori take his place. Might be necessary to add that the redhead was staring at him and his pink present wide-eyed.

Deidara pouted and muttered something about meaning to take that present. Sasori laughed and jumped.

-x-

Deidara threw the ridiculously pink box he still hadn't opened into his bag and took a look around in the room to make sure he'd packed everything he'd wanted. He shoved his cell into his pocket and grabbed his bag.

There were six buses in front of the school house, with a lot of hassle going on around them. Deidara ditched his bag next to Might Guy, who was collecting the luggage for bus nr 2.

He then walked over to the Akatsuki, standing a few hundred meters away. Kakuzu and Kisame seemed to be having a wrestling match with Kisame having the upper hand. Deidara went to stand beside Sasori and kissed him on the cheek, the redhead wrapping his arm around him in return. Itachi, Pein and Sasori were discussing something, but Deidara didn't bother paying attention.

Soon enough, a shrieking sound coming from a megaphone pierced through the cold winter morning, doing its job perfectly at catching students' attention. It was the signal for everyone to get together for the group picture.

Sasori and Deidara made their way to the back row, Sasori holding the blond up on his shoulders for the photo. Deidara let out a childish giggle, which turned into steam in the cold air. He played with the red hair, messing it up even more, earning himself disapproving comments from below. Deidara stopped the complaining by clapping Sasori's mouth shut and pointing at Tsunade, who was about to give her speech.

"OK, listen up. School starts again two weeks from now, you'd all better be back by then. Classes start on the 9th January, but the dorms are open starting 7th. Have a nice holiday, safe trip and bye!"

Students clapped and shouted encouragingly, before starting to spread up. One thing that everyone loved about Tsunade's speeches was that she always made them as short as possible. Sometimes leaving some important stuff out, but no one cared about that.

Deidara got down from Sasori's shoulders and they stumbled through the snow towards bus nr 2. He felt fantastic to be spending Christmas with the redhead, it all showed on his smiley face. They sat down on the double seats, along with everybody else who was travelling in the same direction.

"How long will the trip be?" Deidara asked, stripping out of his jacket to make himself comfortable.

"An hour with this bus and a half-hour with another bus. My sister will come pick us up at the bus station."

Deidara's jaw dropped open. "What the…? You have a sister? And you never told me?"

"To be honest, I don't think I've told you much about my family in general."

The blond thought it over for a minute. All he could recall was questioning about his own past. This seemed selfish and unfair at the same time. All this time he'd let himself be out in the open, while knowing basically nothing about who he was dating?

"I can start telling you now, if you want to," Sasori said, noticing Deidara's expression and drawing his own conclusions. "We have more than enough time."

Deidara nodded slowly, relaxing a little. He kept getting the feeling that he was mad at the redhead, although he had no reasons to be. It wasn't Sasori's fault. It was nobody's fault. It wasn't even a big deal. He leaned against the window and looked at the redhead, waiting for him to start talking.

Sasori smiled. "OK. You asked if I have a sister. Yes, I do. Her name is Sasame, she's five years older than me and will come pick us up at the bus station. Anything else?"

"Oh yes."

-x-

The rides took less time than Deidara had expected. Most probably because he had slept through all of them. When he woke up, the sun was shining brightly up in the light-blue sky and they had just arrived in front of a white two-storey house.

Deidara stretched his limbs at the backseat, yawning widely like a bear waking up in the spring. Sasori, who was sitting next to him, chuckled.

"Are we there yet?" Deidara asked sleepily, closing his eyes again. He'd repeated that same line every time he'd happened to wake up, mostly because it was driving Sasori's sister crazy and Deidara didn't exactly _like_any females close to the redhead. Sasori didn't seem to mind his behaviour, though.

Sasame sighed, irritated. "Yes, Deidara, we _finally_are. We _are there already,"_she pressed through her teeth, making a horrible grimace.

Deidara smiled obnoxiously. "Good. Thanks for the ride."

He got out of the car, Sasori following him. They grabbed their luggage from the trunk and shut it with a loud slam. Sasori gave his sister a thumb up, letting her know that she was good to go. Sasame pressed the horn and drove away.

"Will she be back?" Deidara asked in a seemingly innocent voice.

"Yeah," Sasori said and saw the blond's face fall. "In a few hours." He pushed the gate open and they entered the front yard, which was entirely covered in snow. They went up the stairs and Sasori rung the doorbell.

They heard footsteps from the other side coming closer and the door clicking open. A woman in her early forties and a dressing gown appeared at the doorway.

"Willkommen, Schatz!" she said friendlily, her eyes shifting to Deidara and observing him. "Is this Deidara, your boyfriend I've heard so much about?"

Deidara was a little surprised at how easily a mother could talk about her son being gay. Or bi, whatever. The first impression of her was great.

"Hello, ma'am. It's nice to see you," Deidara said politely, surprising Sasori with his good manners. Who would've known the teen who'd lived the past he had, still had it in him? Well, _duh._How the hell do you think he'd pulled off half of his disguises?

The woman laughed sweetly. "Oh, no need to be that formal, Deidara. You may call me Isaribi. But why are you staying outside in the cold? Come on in!" she said and got out of the way.

The two teens did as they were told and stepped inside. Deidara put his bag down and looked around. They were in a small bright hallway, with a staircase leading to the second floor in the middle. He slid off his shoes and looked at Sasori for instructions of what he was supposed to do next. Isaribi gave them for him.

"Sasori's room is upstairs, Deidara, you can drop off your luggage there," she said, before opening the door to the kitchen. Judging by the smell, she had a cake in the oven.

Deidara looked at the redhead. "After you," he said, gesturing towards the stairs.

Sasori picked up his bag and went, the blond following right behind.

"So, how many people will there be? Five? Ten?" Deidara asked, climbing and cursing his heavy bag in his mind.

"Last year it was twenty, this year mum invited her co-workers as well."

Deidara was surprised. "Wow. I hope none of them will be staying in your room."

Sasori laughed. "Don't worry, they won't. We'll kick them out."

Deidara smiled at the thought of kicking out some bitches in mini-skirts. A part of him was telling him to cut out the paranoia. For real, how many teenage girls could there be? Including cousins who didn't mind going down on their relatives? Probably not that many.

Sasori's room was as bright as the rest of the house – the walls free of any posters. Everything was clean and tidy, almost shining, minimum signs of anyone actually living there. Sasori had been away for months after all.

There was a bed with striped covers and a brown teddy bear on it. Deidara smirked as he put down his bag next to Sasori's.

"Aww, isn't that cute?" he said, picking up the toy. "You must've missed him all this time. We should take him with us for the next semester."

Sasori laughed and pushed the blond onto the bed, jumping on top of him. "You must be careful around him. He's seeking for revenge since he got replaced by a beautiful blond."

"Who on Earth are you referring to? A beautiful blond… Tsunade? Yeah, she should be terrified."

Sasori laughed again and kissed him on the lips, instantly deepening the kiss. Deidara ditched the bear behind his head and wrapped his arms around the redhead, his cold hand sliding beneath Sasori's T-shirt. Sasori chuckled, giving a low moan as he pressed himself closer against the blond. Unfortunately, the make-out session was interrupted by a loud yelling coming from downstairs.

"SASORI! GO GET THE DOOR FOR ME, PLEASE!"

Sasori frowned and broke the kiss, leaving the bed once Deidara had removed his arms from around him.

"I'll be right back," he said.

"No, wait, I'm coming with you," Deidara said and got off the bed as well. He followed the redhead downstairs. He stayed behind him, when Sasori opened the door. At first he couldn't see who it was, but the threatening squeal warned him, before a dark haired girl threw her arms around Sasori, making him take a step back.

"_SAASSOOORIIIIII!"_

Deidara felt all colour draining from his face. Before he could say anything, Isaribi stepped into the hallway, having an apron tied around her.

"Oh, hello Koyuki. It's nice to see you again."

"Yeah, my words exactly," Sasori said carelessly, levering the arms from around him. Koyuki smiled and retreated a little, grabbing her luggage from the floor.

"I KNOOW, right?" she said in a tone that only Deidara seemed to dislike. He was glaring daggers at the girl, who didn't even notice him. Koyuki only looked around, her eyes carelessly running over Deidara like he was an empty spot. "So, where will I be staying at?"

"I'll show you your room," Sasori said politely, taking her bag and walking up the stairs, leaving Deidara standing there looking after him.

Once they were out of sight, Deidara felt his jaw drop open and he didn't even bother closing it. He felt astonished, irritated, _angry._With a little effort, he managed to ask Isaribi who'd stayed there with him.

"Are there going to be many girls our age here?"

Isaribi snorted. "Of course. Sasori is the main reason the house is always so full. Children wait for Christmas to get presents, girls from around here wait to see Sasori," she said and went back to the kitchen.

Deidara felt like hitting his head against something very hard at that moment.

_You have got to be fucking kidding me._

* * *

_To be continued…_


	19. Chapter 19

_****19/20 done! |'D I only have the epilogue left to edit now :3_

_I hope y'all have enjoyed this half-assedly re-edited fic ^^' Still a little better than the first version._

* * *

**Chapter 19**

* * *

This was getting way out of control.

If Deidara's calculations were correct – which they usually were - then at 9 pm there were exactly 17 females in the house – Sasori's mother Isaribi, Sasori's sister Sasame, Sasori's two 15-year old cousins, grandma Chiyo, three Sasame's friends and ten teen girls who'd come out of hell knows where.

It was like a spreading virus – one girl came, saw that Sasori was there, texted her friend to come over as well, the invited girl came, bringing along _more_girls. Oh, and there were 7 males. Deidara didn't want to be prejudiced, but he was sure two of them were gay.

And Sasori himself was… acting like him. He was polite, friendly, funny, talking with everyone who came up to him to chat. Deidara couldn't blame him – one has to take care of one's guests – but that understanding didn't make it any easier for him. Maybe it should've been better for him to stay in a hotel.

At 10 pm, he went to Sasori's room and lay down on the bed, hoping he would fall asleep soon. The whole thing was driving him crazy and _not_in a good way. His only wish was for it to end. He knew his thoughts and anger were unreasonable and immature, yet it really didn't change anything. Mind over matter. This wasn't working.

Frustrated, he pulled the covers over himself and turned over to one side, back on the door. The dark night sky was good to look at through the window; helped the blond relax a little. He reached out for the teddy bear lying behind his head and pulled it closer to himself, cuddling it. A tear ran down his pale cheek, leaving a small wet spot on the head of the stuffed animal.

The sound of door opening made his heart drop. He quickly squeezed his eyes shut tight, forcing his breathing to normal to pull off the act of sleeping.

"Deidara?" he heard Sasori's voice quietly ring in the dark room. He stepped in, closing the door.

_No, go away for now,_Deidara's lips mouthed silently.

"Deidara, are you asleep?" Sasori asked as his finger ran through the blond's hair, caressing it softly. "Are you okay?"

_No,_Deidara thought, not risking moving his lips anymore. It would all be better, but not now. Not yet. He just needed some time alone with his thoughts. Just like he needed to be with the redhead at the same time. He stayed still, not knowing what to wish for. Should he say something? Should he not?

Sasori kissed him on the forehead. "Good night, my angel," he said and left the room.

That was the first time when Deidara realized how important it had been for him that the redhead had always stayed, instead of leaving. For the first time, he felt utterly alone in the darkness. There was no one with him anymore.

Sore tears ran down his cheek as he cried himself to sleep.

The next morning, Deidara woke up, feeling the familiar warmth beside him. He opened his eyes and found Sasori lying beside him, his arm wrapped around him. This alone was enough to improve his mood and forget the thoughts that had made him cry yesterday night. He smiled and snuggled closer to the other male, burying his face in his chest.

"Mm, morning Dei-babe," Sasori muttered, chuckling when Deidara's hair started to tickle him.

"Merry Christmas," the blond whispered, hoping that it was the right time to say it. He still could not be sure.

Sasori's eyes snapped open and he looked at the blond, giving the other instantly the feeling of failing in some way.

"Oh right, it's Christmas," he said and laughed.

Deidara sighed, relieved, and joined in on the laughter.

But as the day went on, Deidara's mood returned to the way it had been on the day before – way below zero. He would have liked to grab Sasori and just tell all those girls to back the fuck off, but a bunch of things were holding him back.

Firstly, the girls weren't _doing_anything inappropriate, just smiling and winking and running around in their seductive clothes and almost _gluing _themselves to _his_Sasori.

Secondly, although Deidara might've enjoyed a little too much pissing off Sasame, he didn't want Isaribi to hate him, so he had to show good manners. Which meant no cussing, no being mean to anyone. It was _killing _him.

Lastly… lastly… well, those two reasons were good enough.

Deidara spent most of the day in the kitchen, helping Isaribi, in order to avoid seeing Sasori with the girls. He felt like a sucker for giving up so easily, but really, what could he do? Besides, things could've been worse. A lot worse. Once the holiday was over and they were back at school, he would have Sasori all to himself again.

At least that was what he kept telling himself.

In some time his mood had lowered to such level that he even began doubting the latter. Did Sasori care that much after all? Maybe he was getting tired of him. Why else would he so actively socialize with others.

The suspicion and fear were driving the blond crazy and he let out a devastated sigh.

"Oh, thank you, Deidara. You're such a sweet boy for helping me out," Isaribi said cheerfully, with an incredibly light German accent. She put the chicken into the oven and closed it, smiling at the blond, "but I think you really should just relax and enjoy your stay here. Cooking and housework is generally for the housewives. You're a guest."

Deidara's eyes were on the floor, clearly trying to avoid the woman's gaze. "No, that's okay. I always help my mum out at home." That was a lie. "I really don't mind."

Isaribi didn't look convinced. "Honey, you're a teenager, go have some fun! Take Sasori and go out!"

Deidara shook his head. "No, I would be taking him away from the girls and that would be impolite and egoistical."

Isaribi snorted and waved with her hand, making Deidara slowly raise his head. "The girls will survive, don't let them bother you. Just go." She smiled, her expression supposed to be encouraging. When Deidara didn't move, she stepped closer, motioning for him to back down out of the door. "Go on now, go, go!"

And that was how she literally pushed Deidara out, closing the door after him. The blond was dumbfounded. He'd just been kicked out of the kitchen. Oh wow. He looked around and sighed. Taking his time, he walked to the living room where the loud music was coming from.

He froze on the doorway, feeling nauseous.

The room was full of people, no surprise there.

In the middle, there was Sasori, dancing cha-cha-cha with a girl Deidara had long forgotten. The movements were rather sensual, backed up by wide smiles on both of the dancers' faces and clapping from the audience. Soon Sasori swirled the girl around and she sat down on a free chair. That was when another girl already showed up beside the redhead, ready to be his next dance partner.

Deidara didn't want to watch more. He went back to the corridor and slid on his coat. Without anyone noticing it, he left the house and stepped into the cold winter evening. It was already dark outside, even though it wasn't even past 5 pm yet. Deidara shoved his hands into pockets and started walking in a random direction, figuring it didn't matter where he went, since he didn't know the place.

_Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?_

_That depends a good deal on where you want to get to._

_I don't much care where._

_Then it doesn't matter which way_ _you go._

_True that,_Deidara thought and frowned a little when cold breeze blew straight into his face. The town was pretty quiet, quieter than Deidara was used to. He could hear a few kids laughing from a distance as they played in the snow. That was mostly it for the noise.

_For all normal people spend Christmas with their families,_Deidara thought bitterly, his fists clenching in his pockets.

Normal people. Family. He snorted. What did he have? His sister was on the other side of the country, not allowed to meet up with him. His parents wanted nothing to do with him, a small detail he'd kept silent about. After they'd been sent out of Germany, the siblings were sent to Japan, while their parents bought a house in Thailand and moved there. At the moment, they were probably enjoying their lives to the fullest.

Deidara didn't blame them, he blamed himself. To be accurate, he _had_blamed them for some time, until recently someone had changed his mind. Sasori. While lying in the infirmary and during the countless days Sasori had spent with him there, Deidara had seen the heartbreaking worry in his eyes, making him feel miserably guilty. Sasori's worry was probably the same his parents had felt every time he and his sister had returned to home with another broken bone or fracture. Or black eye. Or bleeding body.

Had he stuck with usual gangs like the Akatsuki, things would've never gotten that bad for his parents to disown him.

But _no, he_had to go wild. He had to play mafia and blow the school up. Make deals with moronic drug addicts and criminals. Find fun in car chases with the police. Rob and chase out everyone in a strip club, only to throw a private party there 20 minutes later. The list went on and on.

Deidara heard someone call him and raised his head, only to see how the kids' mother called the back home. He had imagined someone calling his name.

He sighed and walked on. If he ever got over this Christmas, he would promise to stick to Akatsuki only. No more rebel.

"Hey blondie! Wanna join for a drink?"

But.

He hadn't gotten over _yet_.

Deidara raised his head and looked at the group of people standing on the other side of the street in front of a night club. He gave a humourless smile.

-x-

"MUM! Where's Deidara?" Sasori asked as he entered the kitchen, finding his mother baking. "Have you seen him?"

Isaribi looked up and shook her head. "He left the kitchen over an hour ago. I thought he was with you," she said and handed him one gingerbread man, decorated to look like Sasori. Sasori frowned and took a bite.

"I was in the living room, dancing," Sasori muttered more to himself.

"Oh and I haven't even told you yet," Isaribi continued, completely oblivious of her son's mood, "what a wonderful boyfriend you have! So nice, helpful and mature! And I-"

"Okay mum, that's great," Sasori said and cut her off with a kiss on the forehead. "I'll go find that nice, helpful and mature boy now."

"Oh, okay," Isaribi said and patted him on the cheek. Sasori smiled and left the kitchen, fishing out his phone right after the door had closed. He hit the speed dial and called Deidara. The phone was picked up after the tenth ring.

"_What the fuck do you want_?"

Nice, helpful and mature. It took Sasori a moment to understand what the blond had just said because of all the noise in the background.

"Deidara! Where are you?" he demanded. "Are you drunk?!"

He heard Deidara say something that wasn't directed at him, but at the people accompanying him.

"Are you playing poker?!"

"_Hell yeah I am, douche, and I'm fucking winning."_

Sasori frowned. "Come back home now," he said in a tone that could've forced the president into doing 500 push-ups. Becoming a president had never been on Deidara's "to do" list.

"_What? So I could watch you play with those sluts? Fuck you. Fuck you AND your sluts. I have better things to do with my life."_

The line went dead.

Sasori cursed and shoved the cell back into his pocket. Deidara was drunk, playing poker with people he most probably didn't even know and he was mad. Mad as in angry as well as crazy.

Sasori shrugged into his jacket and stepped outside, slamming the door closed. He was furious as he walked in the cold night, following the blond's footsteps. At least he hoped they were his. After a few hundred meters, he was already sure where he would end up – there weren't that many places to go in this small town.

He crossed the street and entered the night club, glad there weren't any guards who would ask for a document. He was still a minor.

He barged through the crowds of people dancing in the crazy lights, looking for his blond. _He'd said he was playing poker_, Sasori thought and scanned the room. No poker tables to be seen. He groaned and was about to leave the place, when he remembered something. Didn't this place have more rooms than one?

Indeed, a double-door in the back wall led to a casino, where the glinting lights coming from the shining machines filled the room. There were many people cursing in front of the gambling machines after having lost their money; smoking people playing billiard, men playing cards and making bets, while hot women gathered behind the ones who had won. And even in all this hustle, Sasori had no trouble locating the blond sitting behind a poker table.

Sasori walked closer and saw him slam down his cards, demanding all the money to himself. The men sitting around the table groaned, cussed, accused him of cheating, but gave him the cash nevertheless.

"Deidara!" Sasori called, making everyone at the table look up.

"Oh hey asshole. Look, I just won!" Deidara exclaimed, pointing at the pile of cash in front of him. Sasori looked at him, but saw from the corner of his eye the other players wince a little at the last word. One man leaned closer to the other, whispering something, getting a small nod as a response.

"Deidara, we're going home," Sasori said strictly, grabbing his arm and attempting to pull him up.

"NUH-UH!" Deidara complained, not moving an inch. "_You_can go home. I'm staying."

A man with black long hair and brown eyes, probably in his thirties, smirked, which didn't go unnoticed by the redhead.

"Deidara, we are _leaving."_

"I am not_. _Fuck _off. _Let _GO!"_

The smirking man decided to join the argument with an easy-going mask. "If the kid wants to stay, let him. Won't do him any-"

"Stay out of this, drunkard," Sasori snapped and glared at him, but his expression changed when he saw the man's smiling face. He'd be using this as an excuse to start a fight, Sasori realized and wanted to facepalm himself. Such an obvious trap and he'd fallen for it.

"Deidara," Sasori said as he saw the man stand up. "Get up."

-20 minutes later-

"_I didn't wanna do it, Father, but I caught him with another woman in the bed I made him. So I put him in a grave. And now there's no one left around to get me off when I want. It's a drag."_

"Shut up, Deidara," Sasori snapped harshly as he pulled the staggering blond along with him. He held snow against the place where he'd gotten hit. He was going to have a black eye. And yet, when they'd left, their opponents had been lying on the floor unconscious.

"NUH-UH!" Deidara replied and continued singing. "_The next day on the television they identified him by the circumcision that I made and now I'm on the run. But wait why did I have to go and kill him when he was the best I'd ever had?"_The blond chuckled, but then looked at the redhead, whose whole face spelled "anger".

Deidara's face fell and he shut up.

By the time they got back, everyone in the house was already asleep. They didn't exchange a single word as they went up the stairs to Sasori's fortunately empty bedroom. Deidara only watched while the redhead set up a bed on a mattress for him. Sasori then just stripped out of his clothes, leaving only his boxers on, and, without a single word or glance at the blond, climbed into his bed.

Deidara, even while drunk, could tell when things sucked. And this situation sucked rocks. Feeling quite awkward, he stripped out of his own clothes and lay down on the mattress, pulling the covers over him. He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep. After 5 minutes of failing, he sighed and turned onto his other side, his back at the redhead.

And that was how it went on, without him being able to fall asleep. Only tossing and turning. After some time, he finally settled for his right side, his eyes focusing on the redhead's back. Countless thoughts went through his clouded mind, each of them forgotten once pushed out of the head.

Deidara bit his lip to bleed and slowly crawled off his mattress to Sasori's bed. He was on his knees as he looked at the sleeping redhead, his warm breath caressing his skin. He ran his warm hand over his naked shoulder, slowly crawling onto the bed.

"Sasori…" he breathed, his hand running over his chest and pressing his back against the bed. The redhead's eyes opened sleepily and he looked at the blond confused.

"Deidara? What…?" he mumbled, but was cut off by a pair of lips on his own.

"Don't be mad at me…" Deidara murmured into his mouth, moving his lips together with the other's.

"Wha-? No, Dei," Sasori said, trying to push him off. "Not now, I'm trying to sleep."

Deidara didn't give up that easily. His hand wandered down to the other male's sweeter spot, rubbing it through the cloth, while he pressed his body closer to Sasori. "Please? Sa-so-ri…" he almost pleaded, loving the redhead's attempts to hold the moans back. "I'm sor-r-ry for running off."

Their skins pressed against each other, the warmth from it making up for the absence of the blanket that Deidara had thrown onto the floor. The blond went down to suck at one of his nipples, biting a little and then switching.

He traced the skin back up to the redhead's mouth with his lips, kissing him more fiercely than before. Deidara slid his tongue into Sasori's mouth, exploring it while waiting for him to take control. He didn't have to wait for long, one more moan from him was enough. The redhead rolled them over, pinning the younger male against the bed.

Sasori broke the kiss and bit down the blond's neck, making him moan. Deidara could feel that Sasori was still angry at him, it showed in his bites, but that was the point – to get everything in them out. He deliberately let him have his way, even though it hurt, when Sasori pushed in without any preparations. He gave a muted scream, which didn't make the redhead slow down a bit, only press his lips against the blond's.

The repetitive thrusting didn't let him relax, even when he started getting used to the feeling, but each hit against his prostate made everything feel worth it. Sasori sucked at a spot on the blond's neck that would turn as dark as his black eye. The hickey would be noticeable, showing everyone who could put two and two together, that the blond wasn't on the market for he already had an owner.

These thoughts helped him relieve of his anger. The urge to own the blond turned into the urge to protect his property in any way. Sasori stopped sucking and thrusting and looked down at Deidara, whose face was completely messed up with pain and pleasure. The blond returned the gaze quietly, not sure whether he'd been forgiven or not. The position he was in, made him look so vulnerable, as opposed to his nature.

Sasori slowly closed his eyes and licked the marks he'd left on the neck. He built up a rhythm again, but this time it wasn't as fast-paced as before. His hand went down to grip the blond's hard member to the point of where he cummed. Deidara reaching his orgasm made the walls tighten around Sasori, resulting in him coming as well.

Sasori lay down beside the blond, pulling him against himself. He pressed their lips together one last time, before whispering "I'm sorry."

Deidara smiled sleepily, resting his head on the other male's chest. He wasn't even sure whether he was still drunk or not. He just closed his eyes and fell asleep, listening to Sasori's heartbeat through his chest.

* * *

_To be continued…_


	20. Epilogue

_And the journey is finally complete! :D_

_...or is it~?_

_For those who lack the knowledge, 8 chapters of the sequel have already been posted on my account |3 _

_I hope you enjoyed this fic as much as I did, and will stay tuned for the updates of the sequel :3_

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**Epilogue**

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-Almost two weeks later-

Deidara and Sasori waved goodbye to Isaribi before getting into Sasame's car.

Deidara adjusted his scarf to ensure that it covered the marks on his neck that hadn't healed yet. Resting his head on Sasori's shoulder, he slept through the whole way back to Hidden High School. He felt relaxed, hence the smile on his face. For the rest of their stay, Sasori had devoted himself to the blond, exchanging only a few words with the girls, who'd finally left the house once it was clear that Sasori was off the market.

Deidara honoured the agreement he'd made with himself the night he'd went to the night club should he ever get over this Christmas, he'd abandon his old ways for good and the riskiest things he would do from then on, would be with the Akatsuki. No more criminals. No more mafia. No more denying the law. Well, maybe a little, but there would be limits. All in all, no more rebel to screw up his life. He'd already lost his parents and sister, he didn't want to lose anymore.

Days went by, weeks turned into months, and it took Deidara by surprise, when he woke up one morning and discovered that everyone was packing their things. He sat on his/Sasori's bed, staring at the redhead wide-eyed, ignoring him waving his hand in front of his eyes.

"Deidara?" Sasori called, a little worried for not knowing anything about shock in medical terms. "You alright?"

"Junior year It's over?" Deidara muttered, even the question sounding monotone.

Sasori laughed. "Well yeah. That's what they say."

"Summer break "

Sasori sat down on the bed next to him, lifting him up to place down on his lap. "Yes. What are you planning on doing? I'm going on a vacation with my family for three weeks, but after that "

"I think I'm going to find my parents." Deidara mused, making Sasori go quiet. The blond had finally told him the truth about his parents once they'd got back to school after the winter break.

Sasori knew this was a delicate subject and he had no idea how to respond. He'd never had any experience in that area and he always preferred to avoid this topic, for he did not know how to comfort the blond. Deidara didn't like dwelling on the subject either, so usually it wasn't a problem. The topic had been brought up suddenly, leaving Sasori opening and closing his mouth as he tried to come up with something to say.

Fortunately, Deidara put him out of his misery by going on, "When you're back, call me. We'll meet up."

Sasori smiled and kissed the blond on the lips. Will do.

A black Volvo was waiting in front of the school house, along with a hundred more cars. Isaribi stepped out of the car, scanning the parking lot before finding the couple and waving at them to come closer.

"Hello Lieblings!"

"Hi mum!"

Deidara stayed silent, preferring listening to others talk to opening his mouth himself. The upcoming summer had put him deep in thought. It worked while Isaribi kept congratulating them both, but only until a question directed at him made him go against his will.

"So Deidara, do you want a ride, perhaps?" Isaribi asked him, her smile as wide as ever.

Deidara held himself back from frowning, rolling his eyes or expressing any emotions at all. "Thanks, but no thanks. I ve got it covered."

Isaribi nodded and gave him one last hug, before sliding into the car. Sasori had already put his luggage in the car and now wrapped his arms around the blond, connecting their lips.

"You sure?" he murmured, swaying them a little.

"Yes. Keep in touch via Internet."

Sasori nodded and let go, giving him one last kiss on the cheek. "See you, love," he said and stepped into the car.

"Goodbye," Deidara muttered, waving them off as they drove out of the parking lot.

He sighed and let his hand drop, looking after the car as it went around the corner. He turned around and looked at the schoolhouse, where teachers, students and their parents were scurrying about restlessly. He fell in thought and for a moment, the reality in front of him disappeared, being replaced by a flashback of his first day in school.

"Please, let me pass," he had said in a low voice, going with the polite speech for starters. He had been standing in front of the ancient looking building that supposedly functioned as a school house. There had been a gang of eight boys standing in his way to the front door.

"Ooh, looks like we have a new hot head cheerleader candidate here." Sasori had stepped out of the shadows together with Pein, staring at the blond with a wide smirk on his face.

Deidara d clenched his fist and went for the redhead's face, a hit Sasori successfully dodged.

"So, you want to fight, blondie?" Sasori sneered wildly.

"Anytime."

Sasori was the last one to go through the metal detector. After he had been given back his carry-  
on luggage, he caught up with his family, who were headed towards their soon departing plane. In spite of Chiyo and his son, Sasori's father, sleeping in and taking forever to find their toothbrushes, they had plenty of time on their hands. Isaribi visited a kiosk on their way, while Sasame was busy texting God knows who.

Sasori decided to sit down, until they were allowed to go find their seats on the plane. The family had to sit separately, for they had been lucky to even get tickets on the same plane. Trips to Brazil from Japan seemed to be popular at the beginning of summer.

Sasori placed his carry-on in the drawer above his seat, before sitting down next to another passenger. The man (or woman, Sasori couldn't tell) was hidden behind a local newspaper, which he kept reading with great interest. For some reason, Sasori couldn't take his eyes off of him. Something about the person seemed strange, for the lack of a better word.

He couldn t see much of him, but the way his body was bent and those hands gripping the newspaper

As the pilot began talking, starting with greetings and introductions, the man looked up from behind the newspaper. He was wearing huge sunglasses and a hood covered his entire forehead. A scarf that he removed had been hiding his mouth and nose.

"How long are you planning to continue staring, Mr. Akasuna? Do you not know it's considered rude in most parts of the world?" The stranger removed his glasses and hood, letting the blond locks fall in place over his shoulders and the bang cover one of his eyes.

"Dei?" Sasori asked disbelievingly, his jaw dropping open as his mind ran out of other things to say. For a moment, it was even difficult to remember his own name.

Deidara let out a laugh. "How many other hot blonds do you know? Name any and I'm going to hunt them down."

Sasori chuckled and fell against the backrest, letting out a sigh. He knew better than to inquire, but the actions of his boyfriend he ought to have gotten used to already, still kept catching him off guard. After the quick recovering, he looked back at the blond.

"So, Brazil, huh?"

Deidara smiled. "Guess so." That s where my parents were last spotted, he thought.

And the plane took off.

-x-

THE END


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